Scvngr

Location-based services were hugely popular in 2010, and there is no shortage of mobile apps to choose from when you're looking for the best app to use. That said, SCVNGR takes top honors this year as your favorite location-based app of 2010.

SCVNGR differs from Foursquare because in addition to allowing users to check in to certain locations, it also sends users on "treks," or scavenger hunts, looking for photos of places and things in an effort to get to know your city even better.

Over the past year, SCVNGR has added new features allowing users to add their own challenges, and eventually adding an excellent rewards program where users rack up points toward great prizes.

Foursquare launched pre-2010, but its wide adoption over the year and the emergence of many other location-based services signaled a huge trend in the making. Soon, even Facebook got into the game with Facebook Places, which quickly came under scrutiny for its privacy practices. While the services are generally safe to use, it's important to remember to monitor privacy settings to make certain you're only sharing information about your location with people you choose.

Deals
Once users were willing to share their whereabouts with friends and contacts, it wasn't long until retailers and other companies jumped into the mix, offering special deals for checking in or becoming the mayor of a certain location. Facebook Deals launched with partners like Gap and Virgin America, offering incentives to visit and check into stores. And after initially competing with other check in services, location-based deal app Loopt Star combined with Facebook Places, offering one unified map.

Location-based services also took advantage of the news, offering a little bit of humor amid the recent in-the-news rigors of airport security; Foursquare offers a Baggage Handler badge, and Loopt even launched a Touched by TSA giveaway to reward fliers for their cooperation with TSA authorities. Foursquare also took advantage of the recent elections, offering badges for voters, too.

And, just last week, one Foursquare superuser rigged his front door to open when he or his close friends checked into his apartment via Foursquare. Slightly extreme but kind of cool.

Find out what's next for location-based apps and services when you read more.

As if its recently added rewards program wasn't enough, location-based app SCVNGR is adding even more features to its check-in and scavenger hunt app for you to dive into. More than just a check-in app, SCVNGR now allows you to add challenges to locations right from your phone.

How does it work? Let's say you've just checked in to your favorite cafe that serves amazing (and amazingly huge) pancakes. Now you can challenge friends and other SCVNGR users to order (and finish!) the monstrous pancakes for points. Of course, it doesn't have to just be about food — you can add challenges anywhere you check in and earn points by completing other users' challenges, too.

But that's not all — learn about a few other new features SCVNGR is offering up after the break.

There are already a few location-based apps that will allow you to earn real-world rewards just by checking in, and now Google-backed SCVNGR is getting in on the rewards action as well. I know what you may be thinking — my list of check-in apps is already too long! Do I really need another? The short answer? Yes.

In fact, SCVNGR's new rewards program may trump all the others; over 1,000 retailers and locations will be offering up tangible rewards at launch, and the company will eventually roll out a DIY rewards program for any business to create its own challenges and rewards for its customers to complete and cash in on.

Want to know how it works? Then

There's a new geo-location app on the market, and the name is SCVNGR. Yes, all caps. But don't confuse it with the likes of Foursquare or Gowalla, SCVNGR has something else going for it — game play. Want to know more? Here, I'll tell you the difference between everyone's favorite check-in app and the new kid on the block.

Foursquare
You've met my friend Foursquare, right? It's the app that lets you check in to locations, rack up points, find out where your friends are, and maybe if you frequent a special place enough, become its "Mayor." There are some real-world rewards to checking in on Foursquare as well, like discounts and freebies if you're a "Mayor," along with bragging rights for how many badges you unlock. Foursquare is available for free on your iPhone, Android, Palm, and BlackBerry devices.

Find out how SCVNGR works after the break.