Last week Jolie O’dell at Mashable did a review on an upcoming check-in service called Shopkick. It certainly isn’t news that yet another company is throwing their hat into the already crowed space of location based applications, but Shopkick has a few unique features that could make it a must have application.

The big news is that Shopkick virtually eliminates “fake” check-ins. Applications like Foursquare and Gowalla, who use GPS to verify location, still allow people to check-in even if they aren’t actually in the store (I’ll admit to checking into a few places as I drive by on my daily commute), Shopkick solves this problem. Not only will the application verify you are in the store, but it can even verify your location within the store and push you offers based on the aisle or department your are browsing!

How does work? Well, you will need to install specific hardware in your store, but nothing too fancy. The application listens for sound waves to identify location and performs an auto check-in when they are picked up….pretty cool. It also uses the Foursquare API and allows users to get real world discounts by doing things like scanning items while in the store.

The application does have limitations. Unlike GPS, it can’t listen for your location in the background, so you need to have the app open for it to work and stores need to install the hardware which limits participation (currently they have partnerships with Macy’s and Best Buy), but it certainly has potential.

For a full review check out the video at Mashable