Gowalla takes the beta off its Android app, now available in Market

A little late to the Android game, Gowalla has officially released its app Gowalla application for the Android Market! Now Gowalla is setting itself up to go head to head with Foursquare, not to mention Google Buzz, officially in the Android space.

A few weeks ago, we previewed the beta version of Gowalla, and now– just over two weeks later, we have an official release for Android phone holders to use at large. Within the official version compared to the beta, a ‘trips’ tab has been added to the application, ensuring you’re not missing a step.

One feature that is lacking on the Gowalla application that you will find in the Foursquare app is a widget. However, in my use of the Foursquare widget, it was fairly unreliable. It’s in no way a deal-breaker to leave one out, and it could always pop up later in a future update. I always use widgets, even when they serve little functionality. Gotta have em.  Also, as I’d said in my previous article, Gowalla is much nicer on the eyes than the Foursquare app, yet lacks some functionality that you’d be used to on Foursquare. But as similar as the two services may be, one can not expect them to do the exact same things in the exact same way. It’s all about which one works for you.

So if you’ve been waiting for a formidable Foursquare rival, it looks like the feature-rich Gowalla application may fit the bill. Personally, as a user of Foursquare for quite a while, I think I’ll be sticking to it, but I’m more than willing to give Gowalla a try. As a whole, my interest in social networking is beginning to wane, so as I start using Gowalla, hopefully my interest will be revived. In either case, the ware between Gowalla and Foursquare is just beginning in the mobile space, in theory– Which one will you be using?

[Via: Mashable ]