CityWatch by Zannel is a new location-based iPhone application that lets consumers see, share and talk about what's going on around them.

Now available at the Apple App Store, CityWatch lets consumers select a location on a map that shows the latest text and multimedia updates, including video and pictures imported from Flickr. CityWatch users can also post their own geo-tagged updates to start real-time discussions around them via threaded commenting.

"The strategy behind the launch of CityWatch by Zannel for the iPhone is to provide a new way for users to discover and interact with social media by leveraging mobile location based-services," said Braxton Woodham, chief technology officer for Zannel, San Francisco.

"For example, once there is a critical mass of content in the system you will be able to get an update on California State politics by looking at Sacramento, or national politics by looking at DC," he said.

Zannel calls itself an "instant media network" used by millions to share pictures, videos and text from mobile phones and the Web.

In addition to CityWatch, the Zannel community uses their "channels" to instantly and visually communicate what's happening in their lives across mobile and the Web, including all major social networks.

People use Zannel to capture and share moments in their lives, tell their stories, debate issues and communicate with their community.

The Zannel demographic is primarily 18-24-year-old early mobile adopters, although its iPhone consumers skew a bit older.

"The content is provided by users, so it could appeal to all ages," Mr. Woodham said.

Zannel.com is available online and on all mobile phones in the U.S.

Consumers can become members and start creating their own mobile channel by texting keyword "Join" to short code 58888.

Zannel has more than 50 partnerships with carriers, media companies and brands.

Zannel combines mobile messaging, media sharing and social networking. into an intuitive, compelling user experience.

Zannel is backed by USVP, Alloy and Palomar Ventures.

While CityWatch by Zannel is currently available for iPhone only, the company is in active discussions with OEMs and carriers.

CityWatch by Zannel does not currently host mobile advertising, but that could be on the horizon.

"We are currently focused on seeding a user base for CityWatch, with advertising integration on the roadmap," Mr. Woodham said. "The Zannel platform supports direct ads and ad network integration, with a number of ad partners already in service.

"We also plan to develop premium applications with the core client application platform, but can't discuss details at this point," he said.

Zannel is currently focused on getting the word out about its CityWatch app.

"We're posting a video of the app soon and will post it around to the social media channels as well as link to it from a blog post," Mr. Woodham said. "We also have several members of our 'Street Team' who blog, respond, Zannel, Tweet and keep up our Facebook groups."