Foursquare built what is effectively the World of Warcraft of these services. Their service is a fun game, a social tool, and at times even useful to savvy consumers. Google just built the Guild Wars alternative: smaller, more difficult to use, but useful to the right customers just the same.

That ends my Foursquare/Latitude comparison. Now Latitude/Android.

Android entered into an established marketing with something fresh. Techies could get excited by the open nature of Android . People with less expendable cash than the iPhone crowd had a new option. Techies with limited discretionary spending power had something to openly lust for. Android was thus able to take a bite out of iOS.

Latitude, in the year 2011, is attempting to take on Foursquare by making deals with Arby’s and Radio Shack. Let those three things connect for a moment. 2011 AD. Arby’s. Radio Shack. If that isn’t sad enough already, Radio Shack is now proudly displaying their status as iPad dealers. Android delivered us from their competitors. Latitude would deliver us TO them.

There is nothing to get excited about. This is sad. Google is better than this. They should be acting like it. Latitude should be doing what Android did. They need to find a set of features everyone wished Foursquare would do but knows they would be crazy to implement: then implement it for themselves.

(BIG for instance: Offer credits to their upcoming music service, or extra space in Picasa or Docs. Maybe tie the rewards into their check-ins. Overnight a free dry-iced gourmet Google cafeteria meal to someone who checks in to some extreme number of restaurants? Require the check-ins are at least 2 hours apart, though. Leverage their other products to create bribes. Create synergy with those other services. Use them to their full advantage. Don’t give people coupons, and certainly NOT for looking at iPads.)

Courageous moves are where Google succeeds. This is no different.