To make sure you know when I’m at Au Bon Pain and I know when you’re in the loo, Garmin (a GPS wielder) partners with uLocate (you guessed it – a locations application developer) to bring us Buddy Beacon. Not only can users find likeminds nearby when their lonely, they can update their Facebook profile with their 20. So friends can make their way back together.

The best part? They decide when, where and who can view. Though in its infancy this is an example of broadening location-based social networking. We’re awaiting the list of social networking sites and enabled devices.

This new friend-finding feature joins other tracking devices popular this back to school season.

uLocate itself started by offering GPS locators in cells to help give ‘rents peace of mind -- if that’s possible with a pre-teen. On some services, parents can set up ‘zones’ and get notified if their little one goes beyond the boundary. Like those plastic fences you put up next to the stairs. Another option is to program a place and time so that moms and pops get notified that their child has safely made it to band practice.

Further, early this year Sprint announced its popular service would be expanded to 100+ phone models. With more than a third of 8 to 12 year-olds carrying cells, it’s really no surprise that the 2 year-old service is gaining steam. The catch: the phone has to be turned on. And we know how rabble rousers love loopholes.

[via uLocate]

Katie Sherman is a NY-based freelance writer. After years of multi-tasking at downtown ad agencies, she's recently returned from a European backpacking sabbatical. During the day she works as a Copywriter in Soho. In the off-hours she concentrates on analyzing social/ cultural trends, business innovation and local entertainment. Her work has been published on PSFK.com, CoolBusinessIdeas.com, EatDrinkSleepny.com, and Glamourite.com. Email her at katie_sherman@hotmail.com.