Good news for any Windows Phone 7 owners out there who are just dying to get back to telling everyone where they are and amassing cutesy badges: Gowalla is now available on your platform.
This is the first of the major check-in apps that has made it’s way to Microsoft’s nascent platform — which is actually a bit of a surprise. Why? Because if Microsoft’s demos back at their MIX 2010 conference were any indication, a Foursquare app was riiiiight around the corner. Turns out, that app was built by someone at Microsoft.. who’s no longer with the company. A rep from Microsoft went on record back in May saying that an official Foursquare app was on the way, but we haven’t heard anything since.
Of course, it’s worth noting that the platform will get built-in support for a different check-in platform in just a few weeks, as integrated Facebook check-ins are one of the features found in the upcoming Mango update.
Judging from the screenshots, it looks like Gowalla’s done a pretty good job of finding that balance between Windows Phone 7′s minimalist, floaty-text-everywhere look and their own bright, cheery, oh-god-so-many-graphics aesthetic. The app does just about everything you’d expect — Check ins, “Spots” discovery, etc. — while tapping into some of Windows Phone 7′s features to push things like unread comments/checkins to the homescreen via the Live Tiles system.
Now go! Quick! Go start collecting your cartoon pictures of hot-dogs and Big Bens and what-not!
