Zillow.com grabbed some buzz -- not to mention users -- when it introduced a slick iPhone application in April that allowed home buyers to pull up information while on the go.  Not to be outdone, John L. Scott Real Estate today unveiled a new mobile service that's optimized for the iPhone and other smartphones.  

Instead of creating an iPhone app that is downloaded, the Seattle real estate firm opted to create a service that automatically detects the device and provides enhanced features. Those include the ability to pull up nearby for-sale listings based on the phone's GPS capabilities. It also creates easy shortcuts to contact a John L. Scott agents and nearby offices.

“There’s no assembly required; just switch on your iPhone and our website will do the rest,” said CEO J. Lennox Scott in a release. 

Of course, there's one big difference between John L. Scott's new service and Zillow's app -- other than the fact that it doesn't require a download. While you can search for nearby sale listings on the new service, it doesn't show every home in the neighborhood as Zillow's offering does. 

That's especially helpful for home buyers -- not to mention real estate professionals -- since they can conduct research on nearby properties as they look at homes for sale in a specific neighborhood.

John L. Scott has been trying to push the envelope when it comes to new technologies, working with Microsoft to create a new social network called JLSconnect and incorporating enhanced online mapping technologies on its Web site.