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Last week, the people from Loopt, the location-based social network, offered to send me some embargoed information. I ignored the email. It’s nothing against them specifically — I’ve just found location-based social networks to be a bit creepy. But then, after reading the information on CrackBerry, I realized that I was being a bit selfish. Just because I don’t prefer something doesn’t mean that the BBGeeks out there feel the same. If you like to explore the social networking possibilities from your BlackBerry and have friends who do the same, Loopt is probably for you. They recently announced a few upgrades, which makes even a skeptic like me think that maybe the service is worth trying.

Here’s what Loopt says about their new features:

• Discover the best places and events, including those rated highly by your friends on Pulse
• See where your friends are on maps, view their latest updates listed in real-time, and comment on them
• Check-in to instantly share your updates with friends – easily update Facebook and Twitter with your photos and places in one Loopt check-in
• Browse and rate local places and events – peruse detailed information from Zagat, Citysearch, and the Loopt community
• Save money with special offers and coupons from nearby retailers

These all sound like great features, especially the integration with Facebook and Twitter. It seems like Loopt understands its place in the social networking world, and isn’t trying to be too much. Instead, it’s trying to add its own value to existing social networks. Sounds like a plus to me.

I’m still probably not getting Loopt, but that’s for reasons beyond my own skepticism. In order for this service to provide the greatest possible value, you need more friends on it. I currently have none. So the choices are to convince my friends to use it, or to sit it out. If you’ve ever met my friends, you’d understand why the latter is what I’ve chosen.

The only downside I can see is that Loopt is only available on the newer devices. These include the Bold 9000, the Curve 8900, and the Tour 9630. I’m assuming it will also be available for the 9700 when it drops this week or next, but I can’t be sure. Ditto the Curve 8530, though I’m less sure on that because it’s not available for the 8520. If you have one of the compatible devices, you can get Loopt at App World.

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