Don Contreras: Gowalla 3.0 unifies check-ins across FourSquare, Facebook and Twitter

Gowalla has just taken a giant leap forward to become the only location-based check-in app you'll ever need, by unifying four networks into one. Check-in services are all the rage, from media-based apps like GetGlue to the location-based services such as FourSquare, and love it or hate it, checking-in has become an integral part of some people's social experiences. The problem up until now with location-based check-in services is that there's too many to choose from, with your friends scattered across them all. What's the point in checking into a place if your friends can't see that you've done so, while checking into four separate services kills the fun? Now, turning from a competing service to the only check-in app you're going to need, Gowalla has integrated FourSquare, Facebook and its own check-in network, plus a bit of Twitter, into its own app.

One check-in on the Gowalla 3.0 app for the iPhone allows you to syndicate that check-in across all four major location-aware networks. But the fun doesn't stop there: the Gowalla app will also pull your friends' location-based activities from other networks directly into the app, meaning you won't have to jump between services to see where each of your friends are and what they're up to. Gowalla has even done the leg work to sync up venue locations between the competing services, meaning that one gig check-in will correctly tag you at the concert venue across all services, and then later, at the bar down the street for the after party. According to co-founder Josh Williams, checking-in with Gowalla has also been improved and is now incredibly simple, requiring just a single tap, with location based-matching to venues that's about 80% correct.

Gallery: Gowalla 3.0 for iPhone