In the early 2000s there was a device/toy called the Cybiko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybiko) which offered similar functionality. It was amazing in theory, however, adoption was never very high so it never took off.
Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
51–60 of 139 posts
Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#52A lot of the people whom I met in Vancouver via Twitter I actually met via an app called Twinkle, which was essentially a wrapper around Twitter that added this sort of geographically-located content, and which was released shortly after the iPhone 3G and iOS 2.0 added location-based functionality (but long before Twitter did).
Basically, Twinkle could work on its own or with a Twitter account. When you posted a message, it would go to Twinkle's servers along with geolocation information, and then Twinkle would post it to Twitter in turn. Other Twinkle users could see your post via Twinkle's servers, as well as your actual Twitter feed. It was a fantastic way to discover new local users, and you could scale the radius up or down (from I think 1km to 10km).
I know one person in particular I ended up seeing in my stream a lot because we both lived in one area and worked in another area, and lots of others just worked in the same area as I did. You could easily Twitter-follow them, which let you take those relationships out of Twinkle.
For someone who was completely new to the city and the community, it was a great way to start getting connected to people in the area.
Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#53Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#54The market problem is a very real reality. Popcorn is pretty simple, you need to invite you friends - but do you have to do that for every area to unlock that area? We've been working on the same problem for a few months now but haven't quick cracked the market issue. Our app, racut, has a similar feature called Shout where you can say something and it appears over a 6 mile radius. In addition to Shout you can also s…
From my own research of the space while working on near.im, it seems like the companies that have done the best are the ones who make agreements with events (i.e. a networking app for people at a conference.) This is great because it has a clear source of monetization and has the added bonus of having the conference advertise that the app exists so that people might actually use it.
Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#55The market problem is a very real reality. Popcorn is pretty simple, you need to invite you friends - but do you have to do that for every area to unlock that area? We've been working on the same problem for a few months now but haven't quick cracked the market issue. Our app, racut, has a similar feature called Shout where you can say something and it appears over a 6 mile radius. In addition to Shout you can also s…
From my own research of the space while working on near.im, it seems like the companies that have done the best are the ones who make agreements with events (i.e. a networking app for people at a conference.) This is great because it has a clear source of monetization and has the added bonus of having the conference advertise that the app exists so that people might actually use it.
Seems logical to partner with a physical event or space, because it helps to provide some of that social proof that people often crave to use something.
I think of it like a restaurant. You're probably going to eat at the restaurant that is busy, not the one that is empty.
Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#56The market problem is a very real reality. Popcorn is pretty simple, you need to invite you friends - but do you have to do that for every area to unlock that area? We've been working on the same problem for a few months now but haven't quick cracked the market issue. Our app, racut, has a similar feature called Shout where you can say something and it appears over a 6 mile radius. In addition to Shout you can also s…
where's the link to your app?
Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#57The market problem is a very real reality. Popcorn is pretty simple, you need to invite you friends - but do you have to do that for every area to unlock that area? We've been working on the same problem for a few months now but haven't quick cracked the market issue. Our app, racut, has a similar feature called Shout where you can say something and it appears over a 6 mile radius. In addition to Shout you can also s…
where's the link to your app?
http://racut.com
Currently only available for iOS. The version in the store is a hybrid, we're working on an objective-C build that should be done in the near future.
It's a fun project.
Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
After seeing the criticisms of Dropbox[1] on Hacker News, I'm much more analytical of the stereotypical "critical top post(s)" when introducing a new project. Getting candid, constructive critical feedback is certainly one of the values of posting on HN, but criticising that a product or service is just a combination of known technologies is an incredibly weak criticism: it could be applied to any innovation. Here's…
Don't get me wrong, it's a nifty little app. I'm just pointing out that I heard an idea a few months ago that was nearly identical. Our advice to the folks was "Yeah, this is cool--go code it!". These toy campus apps are really great for building experience and learning; that said, they're still just that: toy campus apps. The obligatory "but but but facebook" rebuttal is that it was a matter of timing more than anyt…
Don't you think calling this a "little app" and "toy campus app" is a little bit condescending? And that dismissing it as a simple rehashing of other ideas is not actually constructive? How many successful new products/services in the last decade aren't just rehashes of existing ideas?
I'd say kudos to the author for actually rolling up your sleeves and making this idea happen; it's way harder and more admirable IMO to do that than it is to be an armchair critic or armchair ideationist.
Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#59Re: Show HN: Popcorn Messaging – Anonymously chat with people within 1 mile
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
where's the link to your app?
http://racut.com Currently only available for iOS. The version in the store is a hybrid, we're working on an objective-C build that should be done in the near future. It's a fun project.
just downloaded. i can't seem to hit "register" for a new user after i fill in my information.