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Mobile loyalty card application CardStar is today announcing integration with popular location-based service Foursquare in its newly updated iPhone application, CardStar 3.0. Now, as CardStar users present their mobile phones to merchants for scanning, they can also be automatically "checked in" to that business on Foursquare.

The CardStar mobile application, which offers a network of over 2,000 merchants, has been downloaded 1.5 million times, according to its CEO, Andy Miller. Over 600,000 "active uniques" now use the CardStar app in 160 countries worldwide.

The potential market for Foursquare just got a whole lot larger.

A recent survey of 2,733 mobile application developers has shed new light on the so-called Apple vs. Google battle that's taking place in the smartphone industry, pitting Apple's dominant iPhone/iPad operating system (iOS) against Google's mobile operating system, Android.

The survey, conducted by mobile app development company Appcelerator, asked a representative sample of its 51,000 customers to weigh the pros and cons of both the Apple and Google mobile platforms, among other things. According to the findings, developers view Apple's near-term outlook favorably, given its App Store, large market share and device line up. However, it's Android's adaptability as a platform that had developers pegging the OS as the best bet for long-term success.

Yesterday we looked at Check.in, the universal check-in Web application that provides a single interface for registering your location with several location-based social networking services like Foursquare and Brightkite. Today, we're learning of a native iPhone application that integrates Check.in's functionality: Geolorean.

Good news, Android owners! One of the iPhone and iPad's best mobile applications, the Amazon Kindle app, is coming soon to phones running the Google Android mobile operating system. Like all Kindle products, the Android app will include Amazon's Whispersync technology, which synchronizes reading progress, notes and bookmarks across devices including Kindle brand e-readers, desktop software and mobile applications.

A Redmond-based startup is introducing a location-based social sharing service called Glympse. With a mobile application that works on iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile devices, users share their location (aka a "Glympse"), allowing their friends to see that location on another phone or on any other Internet-connected device. Senders can customize who gets to see the Glympse they post, whether the recipient is just one person, a group, or even everyone they've added as a friend on a social network like Facebook or Twitter.

The interesting twist to this service isn't the location-sharing aspect, of course - there are dozens of companies that allow for that today - it's the service's real-time nature and the thoughtfully included privacy features. Using a patent-pending timer option, Glympse users specify how long their location is visible to which select group of friends, with a maximum time of four hours before the location data expires.

Do you already own an iPhone or iPod Touch and are planning on buying an iPad, too? Then you need to know about the new "universal" applications now available in the iTunes App Store. These combo apps for Apple's line of mobile devices are basically "buy one, get one free" deals except for one small difference - both apps are bundled into one download. When you run the universal application on a small-screened device, you'll see the iPhone version and when you run the app on your iPad, you'll see the larger, iPad-only version. And these won't just be blown up, oversized iPhone apps either - they'll be custom designed apps made specifically for the iPad.

What applications are the earliest testers of the Apple iPad trying out? Even though the "official" launch day for the new slate touchscreen computer isn't until tomorrow, April 3rd, several journalists and even some celebrities have already got their hands on one. And what are the top applications for folks like this? There are the usual suspects, of course: The Wall St. Journal, iBooks, Netflix (yes, it was true!), USA Today, ABC Player, NYT Editors' Choice, NPR and others. But all these apps are free, big-name brands and precisely the sorts of things the iPad was designed for. What's more interesting is a glance at the paid applications list for the iPad.

Are location-based social networks privacy disasters waiting to happen? Or are the supposed "dangers" simply being overhyped by those without a thorough understanding of what these new networks can and cannot do? Today, these questions are the subject of a serious debate among early adopters - the group of people who are first to sign up for and try out the latest technology innovations, testing everything from iPads to mobile apps.

There are currently a number of location-based social networks clamoring for your attention, including earlier contenders like Loopt and Brightkite as well as the later-to-arrive, game-based networks like Foursquare and Gowalla. Even user review site Yelp is getting in on the action. So is Google. And so is Facebook, apparently.

But is sharing your location with your online "friends" asking for trouble?

Blackberry smartphone maker Research in Motion (RIM) has just launched a public beta testing site called the Blackberry Beta Zone. Here users can sign up to test pre-lease versions of official RIM products and services and provide feedback to the developers. At launch time, the available downloads include OS 5.0 for the BlackBerry Curve 8520 and 8530, an updated version of BlackBerry Messenger (5.0.1) and, for select corporate testers, Blackberry Enterprise Server 5.0.2.

But what looks most intriguing, though, is the banner image gracing the new site's homepage. It clearly shows a phone running the upcoming official Twitter application for Blackberry.

Verizon Wireless prepares to take on the big names in mobile application stores, including Apple and Google, with the launch of its own carrier-specific "Vcast App Store" next week. Here, customers will be able to purchase mobile apps and pay for them on their monthly wireless bill. The store's launch was announced at the recent CTIA conference, where Verizon disclosed the launch date (March 29) and revealed other details about the store's planned operation. Most notably, the new VCast store has a revenue model that mimics that of Apple's iTunes. Application developers partnering with Verizon keep 70% of the revenue generated from app sales, while Verizon keeps the remaining 30% for itself.