Digital News Roundup: May 21, 2010

This week brought big news from Google that might just change how consumers think about television — as well as new stats on Foursquare’s growing user base, the launch of a different kind of location-based network that turns check-ins into a game and a new iTunes feature that incorporates reviews via Rotten Tomatoes. Get the scoop on all of these stories in our recap below.

Google Introduces Web-TV Mash-up ‘Google TV’

Google unveiled Google TV yesterday at its I/O developer conference in San Francisco. The new innovation, which Google describes as “TV meets web, web meets TV,” aims to create a seamless experience between media consumption across television and the Internet.

As Google notes, the average American spends five hours per day watching television – however, we are spending more and more time consuming media via phones and computers. If there’s one thing that traditional TV (generally) lacks, it’s the Internet. And if there’s one thing that the web lacks, it’s the viewing experience that TV has to offer.

Here’s how Google hopes to combine the best of both worlds within a “seamless experience:”

• Google TV will have Chrome built in, so viewers can access favorite sites and easily move between TV and the web.
• The product will expand the traditional functionality of television – opening up the experience to include a web browser through which users can play games, listen to music, view photos and more.
• And, of course, Google TV will integrate search – allowing viewers to navigate through various channels, sites, apps and more.

As we noted in an earlier post, television and the web seem to be on a collision course of sorts. People are discussing television in online arenas – and looking to online arenas to find TV content. We look forward to seeing how Google TV leverages technology to further this trend in the future.

Foursquare CEO: We’re Adding 15K Users a Day

Foursquare continues to build on the recent momentum it has gained by surpassing the one million user mark. This week CEO Dennis Crowley revealed that the red-hot location-based social network is now garnering new users to the tune of 15,000 per day. Over the past few months brands have followed consumers to the platform en masse, as Foursquare has inked deals with the likes of Bravo, MTV, The Wall Street Journal and, most recently, Starbucks.

On Tuesday, our own Sarah Hofstetter, SVP of Brand Strategy & Emerging Media, will join Coca-Cola’s Roberto Mastrocola at WOMMA’s School of WOM conference to present a case study on how Coke Zero used Foursquare to leverage mobile, local and social and enhance its word of mouth efforts. Check the blog next week to view and download their complete presentation.

SCVNGR Steps Up the Location-Based Game

Last week, location-based network SCVNGR launched its consumer-facing app and has reported record traffic figures every day following the launch. As CEO Seth Priebatsch put it to TechCrunch, SCVNGR has seen “a ridiculous spike.”

Unlike rivals Foursquare and Gowalla, SCVNGR got its start by focusing on large organizations like the US Army, retail businesses and various colleges and universities, providing tools that allow enterprise clients to build their own mobile games based on real world challenges.

Now, SCVNGR has built out its consumer platform that allows individuals and businesses to create their own challenges at no cost. As we noted in a blog post earlier this week, SCVNGR offers challenges at any and every location, whether or not a marketer or venue owner is actively involved – and its database already includes over 20 million locations.

The opportunities are ripe for marketers, who can build their own challenges tied to venues, from their own locations to anywhere they want to be associated with. To create more involved and interesting experiences, marketers can even create treks, which are themed experiences tied to one location or a series of them. You can download the SCVNGR app here.

Rotten Tomatoes Brings Reviews to iTunes

Search for a movie today within the iTunes Store and you will notice a new feature that adds another layer to the process of browsing and purchasing flicks. As Mashable reports, iTunes movie listings now include content from the popular review site Rotten Tomatoes – allowing users to peruse ratings before they rent or buy a movie.

The new feature appears below the fold, and includes the overall Rotten Tomatoes “Tomatometer” score, in addition to a selection of top critics’ reviews.

Which headlines grabbed your attention this week? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment or sending us a tweet.