Sunday, April 29, 2012

Meeting People with Common Interests

Interact is a geo social application which is designed to do just that, interact based on location. To participate with the application the user needs the latest version of the iPhone Facebook application and to allow the application to link with Facebook.   The application uses your Facebook information such as connections and likes to determine mutual connections and interests between people.


The application is designed for people to meet other people who are in close proximity and have common interests. The screen shows all of the people who have common interests by rank within a given location. The radius of the person can be determined by a dimmer like switch which goes from a radius of 25 feet to the entire universe of most compatible users. The pictures of the people are large enough to that you get a clear idea of who they are. The app has the feel of who can I talk to today, and gives the user the opportunity to open up a SMS chat conversation. In addition the user can filter based on the type of interaction they want: any, dating, social or professional.

Interact is good for meeting people in social situations. Some people have mentioned that it can be good for remembering people names if you see them in a particular location. One drawback in creating an audience is the lack of Android support which encompasses a huge demographic who would find this application useful. Android support will be needed to give this application its full potential.

The other potential use case for this application is business situations and the company is planning to offer LinkedIn support. Right now growth in the application is via word of mouth. The app might not be for everyone.  To make the application more privacy friendly the  app designer interviewed women who are more particular in types of interactions they have and in displaying location. One of the incorporated feedbacks was to not include a map, which is a nice feature and allows for a degree of anonymity.

If you want to find out more about the thoughts on building a mobile geo social application by the founder Anthony Combs, it can be found at http://www.geosocialradar.com/blog/84/a-guide-to-building-location-based-social-networks-philly-tech-week.html.  Try out the app you may meet someone that you enjoy interacting with.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Enjoy Your Time App

If you are looking for something fun to do in your current vicinity and you are out and about, at work, or sitting in front of the TV, try the TimetoEnjoy application on your iPhone or iPad. The app seems to be geared to the 20 to 35 crowd, but has lots of suggestions around sports, theater, music, movies, entertainment, product demonstrations, cruises, classes, exhibits, tours. Basically a variety of activities that people are going to be interested in.




The site allows the viewer to look at activities on a certain day and time in a city. The interface is clean and simple. Clicking on the event allows the user to see a description, find directions, purchase tickets, and learn more via Google. The viewer can put the event in a calendar or communicate the event to friends. It allows the viewer to send these activity listings to friends via email, SMS, Facebook, and Twitter. The database for the activities comes from Eventful.

The app could be improved by offering more option for families with kids as they are always looking for something to do. There are filters which allow the user to avoid categories of activities in their search. Later versions of the application will have a learning function like Amazon and provide suggestions. These types of recommendations would be good for alerts. The positive aspect about a suggestion engine is that it tailors events to the viewer’s tastes; the bad part is that viewer may want to try something new that he/she had not had a previous interest in.

As it is now, the application is good for answering the common question, what do we do tonight? And getting an answer that will allow you to enjoy your time. For that reasons it is worth having on your phone.