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For as far back as we've been discussing social networks, there have been question marks around the best ways to monetize users. To date, advertising has been the primary strategy, with virtual goods starting to pull in some serious revenues.

But the challenge with advertising is that users tend to ignore ads that are not highly targeted. Even precisely targeted ads are largely ignored, which is why you see more and more of them taking up screen real estate. This has also led to more sites adopting a "freemium" content model.

And targeting is even more of a challenge when users are mobile, but mobility also introduces a whole new way to interact with and monetize users.

One of the more interesting companies in the location-based services (LBS) space is Foursquare. Surely, you've seen some message in your Twitter stream telling you that your friend is at some location or is the mayor of whatever, or has unlocked a badge.

And while Foursquare has nowhere near the user base of Facebook or Twitter, the users are very valuable as they promote the places they go and things they do simply by mentioning them in their communication stream.

According to The New York Times, Foursquare plans to distribute a new analytics tool and dashboard in the coming weeks that will give business owners access to a range of information and statistics about visitors to their establishments. This means that businesses can more effectively target users with specific offers and ads.

But what it really provides is a way for Foursquare and other location-aware services to make money.

Going back to 2001, I remember talking about location-based services while working at OmniSky, a way-too-early provider of hardware and software that turned handheld devices like the Palm V into mobile devices. We even acquired an Israeli company called NomadIQ to deliver location-based content.

Ten years later we're just starting to see location-based offers roll out in the U.S.--better late than never?

Many of the early international LBS were very basic social networks (primarily dating) and the demand for such services in the U.S. simply wasn't there, partially because of social mores and also partially because mobile devices have evolved fairly dramatically. … Read more

The Android mobile app for game-like "check-in" app Gowalla is now live, as Mashable noted over the weekend. Launching its first non-iPhone app is an important step for the start-up as it competes fiercely with several other location-based mobile companies that are all trying to break away from the pack.

Additionally, Gowalla is set to announce a partnership with the Travel Channel for its series "Food Wars," a competitive reality show that pits chefs against one another in blind taste tests. When a Gowalla user checks into a "Food Wars"-featured restaurant, they'll … Read more

Now that rumors of an Apple tablet have manifested themselves in the iPad, speculation about the next iteration of the iPhone can begin in earnest. In a research note published today, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty offers a few thoughts on what a successor to the iPhone 3GS might look like.

"We expect Apple to launch new iPhones in June that offer both a lower total cost of ownership and new functionality, potentially including gesture-based technology," she wrote in a note to clients today. "As we've highlighted in the past, the cost of device-plus-service plan is … Read more

"That looks craptastic!" was the unsolicited, over-the-shoulder assessment of Space Fighter X11. Hopes that this colorful summary would prove inaccurate were dashed by several attempts at playing this game. The strolling critic was right: Space Fighter X11 is, indeed, craptastic.

The game's premise--frankly, we're surprised that the creators even bothered with one--is that the Wymacet Horde has attacked a space station, and players must investigate the damage. Aside from being told that the left mouse button shoots and the right accelerates, that's all we're to know about the game and how it's played; … Read more

Nokia Ovi Maps has been set free--free as in beer, free as a bird. Not only that, it's now better than the current paid-for version, with free Lonely Planet and Michelin guides.

We got our hands on Ovi Maps, which is available as of Thursday on 10 handsets--so if you've got a recent E-series or touch-screen Nokia, you can go to Nokia's Web site and download it right now. The exception is the Nokia N97--only its littler twin, the Nokia N97 mini, is supported, but Nokia tells us N97 users should get theirs next week.

Read … Read more

Nokia is making its navigation service free to all GPS-enabled Nokia devices in a move that will help the company better compete in the smartphone market against the likes of Apple and Google.

Starting Thursday, Nokia users will be able to download for free the client that enables GPS phones to get Ovi Maps and Navigation, as well as, various city guides on their phones. Nokia has been offering the maps and navigation service for more than two years. After its acquisition of Navteq announced in 2007, it enhanced the service by adding turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation. And it added premium content from partners, such as Lonely Planet.… Read more

Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless provider, is reportedly revamping its existing wireless data prices and is considering implementing a usage-based billing model for its upcoming 4G wireless services as it tries to squeeze out more revenue from wireless data services.

Starting January 18, Verizon is expected to tweak its wireless data plan for what it considers its "3G multimedia" phones so that subscribers will pay the same price as customers using a smartphone. The news of the new pricing rates was reported Wednesday by the blog Broadband Reports, which obtained internal documents about the changes from … Read more

Attention, suburbanites: You, too, can be the mayor of your local Home Depot.

That's because New York-based mobile location-sharing service Foursquare has made a subtle but big improvement. It's no longer restricted to a list of a few dozen cities in North America and Europe, which means that people anywhere in the world can use their mobile phones to "check in" through the service. (Foursquare currently has applications for the iPhone, Palm Pre, and Google Android, as well as a BlackBerry app in development and a mobile Web site.) The new feature is considered to currently … Read more

Apple "announced" upgrades to both their Time Capsule and Airport Extreme Base Station in October. After much ado, attempting to get the new revisions and the old ones in-house to test, we've finally completed testing and have updated the reviews.

The thing about network testing is that because so many factors can potentially affect wireless network traffic, results can be quite unpredictable. This is especially true in an office environment like CNET's San Francisco office, where everyone and their mother seems to own an iPhone or BlackBerry.

While we attempt to minimize interference by analyzing the spectrum … Read more