You make very valid points and I agree with you that waiting for these apps to gain mass adoption especially when outside of a big city is a problem. Part of the problem as well is fragmentation from competitive platforms. Whether it be due to similar web application platforms like location based services via foursquare and gowalla or mobile platforms like iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm, etc. Making the decision as a business as to which platforms to invest your time and money in can be a difficult decision. Hopefully with time and education these apps will gain support locally before it is too late.