You’re A Tool! The Bizzy Edition

The talk around location-based services (LBS) is nearly all about the “check-in”. As we discussed last week there is a substantial future evolution for the check-in, from your location to your pants. Additionally, the future is squarely on location-based apps playing on top of the main platforms that are already out there, mainly Foursquare. Well the latest LBS application plants their feet firmly in the Foursquare camp, but Bizzy has decided to forget the check-in and go for the check-out.

Bizzy, which was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, lets you “check-out” from the places you go. This can be done manually when you leave a location, simply by searching for the local business, whether it be a bar, restaurant, gym, or business. Or, better yet, by linking your Foursquare account so that Bizzy knows where you check-in, and then allows you to easily check-out from that place.

The Power of the Check-Out

When you check-out using Bizzy, you can share ratings, post a reviews and even photos of the location you are leaving. Bizzy then serves up a cute little check-out image, reminiscent of the bill you used to get at your local diner before it became a Starbucks. And, of course, you can link to Facebook or Twitter to connect with your already established connections and share your reviews with those networks.

The reason Bizzy is important, and should be used, is that it combines the power of review sites like Yelp or PowerReviews with the LBS functionality of Foursquare. This data can be parsed when you are looking for a place to check-into, and then you can check-out and either confirm or deny whether the recommendation was correct. The app overall is nicely designed, easy to navigate, and set up takes no time at all.

Bizzy Features: One I Like. One I Don’t.

One feature that I think is really nifty is when Bizzy will ping my phone about thirty minutes after I’ve checked into a location on Foursquare. I’m not sure if the time it pings me is random, but for some reason there does seem to be some intelligence in the fact that it waits a bit longer to ping me after a restaurant check-in compared to a pub. I’m wondering what would happen if I checked in at the movies?

One feature that I don’t like is the rating system itself:

I want some more options here between “Love It” and “OK”. For example, I was at a pizza joint in Hoboken this past weekend and one slice I had was delicious and another was…well, not. I struggled with the rating, and feel like we need a “Better Than OK”.

Tool Call: Try Bizzy

Give Bizzy a try, it is a fun app that is also practical for folks looking for good recommendations on food, drink, and other entertainment.