Palringo (http://www.palringo.com) has updated its rich-messaging
application for the iPhone. Now users looking down their contact
lists see not only the location of their Palringo contacts --
typically a town name -- but also how far away those contacts are
from them.

In the next update (due soon), a further click will bring up a map
showing the location of a contact and also the location of any other
Palringo contacts within a 10km/6-mile radius.

In the same update, the location function will allow a user to
display his own location on a map.
Location and proximity information adds an interesting new layer of
social network connectivity, according to Palringo CEO Kerry Ritz. A
Palringo user can choose to reveal her location to any, all or none
of her contacts, changing this selection at any time. Location can be
set manually by the user, or Palringo can detect location
automatically, keeping it continuously updated.

Palringo's rich messaging service already provides the option to
send/receive vocal instant messages, picture messages and text-based
messages. The Palringo service is designed for use on mobile phones,
but versions are also available for Mac OS X and other desktop
environments.