At $1.99, Checkmate offers a convenient alternative for those looking for a passive aggressive way to play the geosocial game. The brand new app harnesses background-running location on the iPhone to check in Foursquare players automatically at specified venues.
After you download and fire up the app, you can select different venues to add to your "Auto Checkin Venues" list. You can toggle automatic checkins on or off for the whole list, as well as specify whether to automatically post a shout or share the checkin on Facebook and Twitter. Once you're within 50 meters of a designated venue, Checkmate will take over and check you in on Foursquare.
The application works on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 and eventually will add support for other checkin services.
Future Checkin [iTunes link] is similar in nature; it too supports automatic checkins for specified venues via background location on the iPhone. Future Checkin differs by letting you adjust the GPS settings for more accurate or more battery-friendly automatic checkins. Both applications warn that by running location in the background, you risk draining your phone's battery.
Do automatic background checkins appeal to you? Leave us a comment and tell us why or why not.
