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Spontaneous bluetooth-range communities

08.Jul.2008

Vitor’s post led me to a recent German startup: aka-aki. Their product is based on a social network based on real life encounters. Using a java software in your mobile phone you will be able to check out whoever is near you, using your bluetooth connection. It keeps track of people you cross by, checks if you have any friend nearby (bluetooth-range that is) and enables free messaging inside you network. On their website you can also see a more detailed report of the information you have gathered and find out, for example, the profile of that girl you’ve bump into on the bus.

The idea is good and with some good marketing can become viral. It seems they’re already experiencing a big growth on some German cities, mainly Berlin. Some work is still needed on the English version of the website, since I occasionally was surprised by some rough German labels and pop-ups. A bit more integration with other already established social networks would also be a good idea, no one likes to build yet another social profile and friend list. They’re on the right track though.

I’m not really a fan of leaving the bluetooth turned on all the time on my mobile phone, it helps to suck up all its battery life. But if aka-aki gains some traction around here, I will reconsider.

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