PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LoSo, Inc., a location-based social media app that shows you what is around you, what is going on and rewards you for going out, today announced the release of its version 2.0 app. The most significant 2.0 enhancement includes a complete redesign of the app, featuring user profiles and real-time news feed displaying what's going on around the user at specific restaurants, bars, or clubs. The new version also offers an enhanced What's Up! function that allows users to upload a message, photo or video alerting others about what is going on around them.

According to Rich Rodgers, LoSo Founder and CEO, the new What's Up! feature is the first of its kind in the app world, allowing users to post not only location-based messages and photos, but also location-based video messages. "This is just another great way for users to see what is going on and share what is up with everyone on LoSo, as well as Twitter and Facebook," he said.

"LoSo's focus is to go one step further to let our users know what's going on in real-time at their favorite places through social media and user messaging," Rodgers said. "With LoSo's latest version 2.0, users can check out regularly posted, real-time messages posted on FaceBook, LoSo and Twitter from thousands of places to see what's happening at the places around them. It also adds an element of social functionality, letting you share with others what is going on at that moment, and to see what people are saying in real-time about what is going on at these locations prior to going out."

Before hitting the town, LoSo users can check out every restaurant and bar within a 10-mile radius, he said. "You can view food and drink specials, happy hours, live music schedules, contests and more, all in real-time," he said. "If someone is tweeting about that place, you'll see it immediately."

Founded in 2010, LoSo combines the best features of Foursquare, Yelp, OpenTable and Citysearch, and expands on them to deliver the ultimate real-time going out guide. LoSo has the largest social media connected places database featuring live Facebook and Twitter feeds from more than 270,000 bars and restaurants, showing users what's happening near them that night, and ranking places for popularity based on the number of people who check in there. Users can navigate an interactive map of local venues, check in to a favorite spot, leave posts letting friends know where they are and what's happening at a place at that moment, and gain rewards for going to their local restaurants or favorite bars from the app's QRewards QR code.

Unlike other local apps which display "directories" of places, LoSo wants to give people more by also incentivizing their visits. Designed to not just get patrons in the door, but to keep them coming back, LoSo's Restaurant QReward Points are good for free drinks, food, prizes and more from local businesses. Every time a customer scans a restaurant or bar's loyalty rewards QR code powered by LoSo's QRewards system they earn 10 Rewards Points. Restaurants and bars that subscribe to LoSo's Dashboard marketing program can create their own reward offerings. "We are seeing clients coming up with some amazing rewards from free appetizers for 20 points, VIP tickets for 40 points, or even an iPad for 1000 points," said Claire O'Keefe, LoSo Marketing Manager.

LoSo is seeking to change the way restaurants and bars are running loyalty rewards with its QRewards QR code rewards platform powered by the Dashboard and run through our mobile app.  "We have seen thousands of users download the LoSo app from just a handful of locations and our clients have had great success using our Dashboard and QRewards with an increase of up to 45% repeat visitors in a two month trial with many customers having been there at least four to ten times scanning our QRewards code," said O'Keefe.

LoSo has been well received by restaurants and users in its first test market areas, Philadelphia and Boston over the past year. The company plans to expand to Washington, D.C., Chicago and Dallas in the spring, followed by three new cities next fall.

LoSo offers many benefits to restaurant and bar owners too with its all-in-one marketing program-the LoSo Dashboard. "For $150-$250 per month, we replace Constant Contact or whatever email company they use, we introduce mobile/SMS marketing, enable them to run loyalty rewards and make social media simple," said Rodgers.  "We save our clients hundreds of dollars while adding thousands of VIPs to them through our loyalty QRewards and traditional VIP card processing."  Clients are able to market to these VIP users from the LoSo Dashboard email or SMS messaging systems. 

The new 2.0 version app is expected to be available for the iPhone and Droid in the iTunes app store by February 1, 2012. For more information about LoSo, visit www.LoSo.Net.