We’ve had another iPhone app come out of the woodwork to give us a preview before the impending launch of Apple’s App Store (despite the company’s rumored suggestions against it). It’s nrme (near me) – a messaging system that looks to cut down on online noise by constraining messages to people within a nine block radius of each other. The native app will be iPhone-only, and hopes to launch near the end of July.
At first, nrme sounds like little more than a geo-aware version of Twitter, but a closer look reveals some important differences that could make nrme a very popular app for iPhone users, especially in urban areas.
Users submit short messages through an app on their phone, which are mass-broadcasted to other Nrme users within a 9 block radius. Each time a user submits a message, it is readable by everyone else in the vicinity – there is no “follow” system. And while there is an option to intitate private chats with users, the primary function of nrme isn’t about socializing or making friends, it’s about getting the latest updates about things that are going on within walking distance.
For example, users could let each other know if a certain bar was getting over-overcrowded, or if a local store had just gotten a much-desired product in stock (iPhone 3G anyone?). The service could also be especially useful at public venues like concerts, sporting events, or conferences.
The company plans to monetize the app by including location and time based advertising at the top of the application. CEO Andrew Bennett envisions local bars and restaurants using the space to announce happy hours, or hotels offering last minute discounts.
Nrme has a lot of potential, but the app still has a few kinks to work out. For one, it’s going to have to deal with the ever-present “chicken and the egg” problem – nobody will use the service if there isn’t anyone to share with in the first place. The public nature of the system also makes it susceptible to noise – imagine having to browse through a random conversation between two people you don’t know, simply because you live down the street from them. To combat this, nrme will need to implement an effective way to block abusers, and a way to vote on messages so only the most informative ones will rise to the top.
Twinkle is a popular iPhone app which allows you to look for tweeps within a user-defined radius in miles. Regular twitter + location scan + ability to take photos and tweet.
But on the above, looks interesting. A evolution of the concept of Twitter on society. I’ve always thought Twitter is more interesting because of the impact it has on communications rather than the particular technology implementation. The buzz of a decentralised twitter is missing the point – but the review above is an interesting development.
Fabulous little playful app for finding the best restaurants and local resources….but I can’t imagine using this in Los Angeles. There’s not enough going on in my immediate neighborhood and most of the people whose opinions I value are more than one mile away at most times.
To me the follow tool is useful as it allows me to set who is reliable and worthy of reading, reducing the noise. Now if Twitter and nrme mated and added a reputation tool I would be sold.
Evonne ~inKenzo~
Green Fairy, Green Gurus and Amoration
Apple will ban them for the rest of their life soon
twinkle already has a huge following so no chicken and egg issue with it
Oh come now — it’s for sex! Geez.
How much time before Facebook becomes location-aware and dominates this category?
I guess that some people might jumped on it first as it sounds cool, but I believe that it will wane off at some stage, because it is so intrusive. A user that wants a private time with his girlfriend (or boyfriend) doesn’t want anyone to turn up uninvited to their romantic dinner (very disruptive) at some restaurant from nearby Nrme users. Perhaps those nearby Nrme users, just want to stop by to say hello, but really this is intrusive.
I guess I’m a little biased since I’m with GeoGraffiti and we already have something very similar and it’s available now in live beta from any mobile phone. GeoGraffiti provides a voice info exchange platform so the community can ‘Voice Mark’ real-world locations with their opinions and advice. Any mobile user can retrieve and listen to Voice Mark messages within their area via a standard and free call to 213-221-3802 and soon via the iphone3G.
In fact earlier this week we released a new feature for small businesses to broadcast an ad/message/promo to patrons in their store vicinity. I provided TechCrunch with the info but I guess they wanted to give nrme the coverage, so if you are interested please read about our stuff on Yahoo News or PRWeb
For info on our community generated Voice Mark mobile service and our YouTube demo see us at geograffiti dot com
Sorry for the long vent post.
Voice Mark the World!
I would find this app especially useful for sharing and learning about interesting shops, restaurants or events going on around the area I am at. For example, I may be at a place and be completely unaware of a sale going on just 2 blocks away.
That said, it would prove useful only if there are sufficient people within the 9-block radius who are using iPhone PLUS have nrme installed.
Is it just me, or are these product names getting more and more ridiculous by the hour? nrme??? I won’t use it for the same reason I won’t use “loopt”. Or “twitter”. Or read “boingboing”. Or post my pics to “flickr”. Web 2.0 needs a hangover. Bad.
Wrrn, Gt ovr it. Ths trnd is hr to stay.
The reason twitter will remain the winner is that it doesn’t need a special app to use, just SMS. For regular phones this matters, and on the iphone, where apple saves the user from evil background-running apps, it also matters.
To use nrme, I have to have it open, and keep it open.
That sounds killer. I’m gonna have to get me an IPhone now. … or is that iPhone? I can’t keep the i’s straight.
facebook needs to just own this entire space. Forget nrme, loopt and handset support. Facebooks millions of users along with a single iPhone app will dominate.
Isn’t Brightkite a thousand times better than this? Or is the big difference that you have to check in with Brightkite?
Brightkite lets me SMS messages, use a slick iPhone app, or use a web interface. I get the same “people around me” texts that I can customize based on how granular I want to get with the distance. I assume when the Brightkite folks get their hands on an iPhone 2 they’ll be incorporating some kind of auto checkin feature that will only send you messages from people close to you.
Not sure what makes Nrme special.
=Ryan
rstewart@adobe.com
Jason Kincaid said…
…nrme sounds like little more than a geo-aware version of Twitter…
Jason, as far as I know there hasn’t been any mobile awareness application that is available in the market at the moment. See my explanation below:
Nabil Laoudji said…
How much time before Facebook becomes location-aware and dominates this category?
I haven’t seen any commercial service for mobile-awareness yet (the more general description term is context-awareness). There is a difference between mobile location-awareness and mobile location-tracking. NRME’s service is fact a location-tracking rather than location-awareness.
What’s the difference? Well location-tracking is dumb, and the context here I mean that it doesn’t have a knowledge-base (dynamic learning knowledge-base or static knowledge-base to infer information from). On the other hand, the mobile location-awareness is intelligent and these devices do infer information from a knowledge-base via the use of autonomous software agents. That is the mobile location-awareness device acts independently of its owner (ie, autonomously) ,when & where the device senses it location.
A simple example is given in the description for context-awareness link (see above), is that when a person walks into the boardroom for an executive meeting or going in to theater to watch a movie, his mobile-awareness device senses that it is suppose to be in a quiet mode (this info is inferred from its knowledge-base where such rule had been specified), the device then switch itself off. When meeting is finished and the device owner walks out of the boardroom, again the device senses that it is no longer in a location (boardroom) that it is supposed to be quiet (again inferred from its knowledge-base rules) , so it switches itself on.
All these switches on & off by the mobile-awareness device is done autonomously without its owners being consciously aware of those actions, that the device is doing for switching on/off or certain actions other than on/off such as product recommendation if the device senses that its location ie, the owner is near a supermarket/or inside a supermarket, petrol station, restaurant (provided that these business owners signed to the mobile-awareness service). All of these are done autonomously.
Context-awareness (where location-awareness is a sub-discipline) will be huge in the future. However these vendors such as NRME and the likes, are starting on the road perhaps to developing mobile-awareness in the future. But starting with just location-tracking, is just the first step.
There is a huge researches & peer review publications in this domain appeared in various journals for topics in pervasive computing & mobile awareness.
Veron said…
For example, I may be at a place and be completely unaware of a sale going on just 2 blocks away.
Veron, as I have stated in the previous paragraph, that when these true mobile-awareness applications start appearing, I am confident that the scenario that you described will also become available. Imagine that you forgot about doing your grocery and just happened to drive past (or near ) your local supermarket (in which the supermarket subscribes to a mobile awareness service), then all of a sudden, your mobile devices alerts you perhaps with a beep with a message pops up on screen, saying Good morning/afternoon/evening Veron, these are some of the items that are sale today:
- A is on sale for $ X
- B’s price is special at $ Y, the price has been cut down from $Z
- If you buy item C, we will give you a gift voucher worths $5
- blah, blah, blah,…
You might perhaps drop in at your local supermarket quickly just to buy those items on sales, before you continue on driving to wherever destination that you intended to go. Your quick stop at the supermarket was indeed unplanned, just blame your mobile awareness device for its real-time recommendation ability, however such services might give users a choice to switch them off, instead of recommendation after recommendation if you drive thru the city center (since those businesses which are located there , I guess the majority of them might be subscribed into such mobile awareness services).
Now you can foresee a future with these types of mobile-awareness services. They will be both useful (in recommendation) and nuisance (ie, you don’t want the device to keep beebing as you drive past McDonald, Wal Mart, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc…)
way ahead of its time, I don’t see people whipping out their iphones to text “this bar is full” to tell other people. not practical?
@Falafulu: agreed, location/context awareness sounds wonderful. a good suggestion for nrme 2.0. right now it seems to fall short on both counts: no true location tracking of contacts (info limited to whoever’s in a 9 block vicinity), and no true location-awareness (you have to parse through user-submitted text messages as opposed to, for example, hitting the “Sales” tab and seeing adverts from retailers on your street).
to my earlier point, given FB’s massive member database and its pre-existing partner relationships from beacon, i would think mashing these data points on a google map and feeding it to members presents a massive opportunity for them. surprised they haven’t moved on it yet.
GeoSMS used this conception: http://www.smst...sms_mashup.html
Really innovative stuff like Walki Talkie Braodcaster of the Mobile.
Rajeev Vahisht
http://tekno-world.blogpot.com
seems interesting bro, let me try it!!!!!
Here does the same thing but works on more phones :: blqd.com
im so excited about this development that i cant sleep. cant wait to text that they are all out of milk at the supermarket.
http://www.RealityLocator.com
People need to put down the fucking phone and start LIVING. 9 block radius? Please. Walk around and discover the world through your own eyes and mind. This service is pathetic and highlights the passive, sheepish mentality that is ruining this country.
Is it me, or would this technology be easily abused by iPhone muggers?
Mugger: “Dude, there is a sale at Starbucks! Coffee for a buck!”
Victim: “Really? Where at?”
Mugger: “Its down the street, near this dark ally way.”
Victim: “Okay, I’ll be there in five minuets.”
No way I’m installing this on my iPhone.
Serious use:
- extend the Emergency Broadcast System
- report on local crime (i.e. “sniper is on the loose at xxxxxx”)
Fun uses:
- iPhone “pass it on” game where a story starts in one neighborhood and then gets re-spun and passed on and then reported back a timeframe later from other locations (on a website or such) to see what came back
- iPhone “build a story” game (similar to the above but like those forum “add a word” games)
- localized “talk” (i.e. text) show broadcasting (i.e. news, gossip, jokes, etc.)
Naughty use:
- localized bomb scares
Harry “oh, and link it to that GPS city ‘hot spot’ activity website” Wang
@9 (Chad) – That “localized ad” is an awesome idea that will be big in the future.
Harry “now if only consumer GPS was accurate enough to mark dog cr@p in the park” Wang
There is another company like this called nr2me. They had a logo designed at 99designs.com. Funny that their names are just one character different and they are completely ludicrous names to begin with. Oh, and it’s essentially the same idea, sending messages to nearby friends.
For a ultra-simple location-based message wall, running on your java cellphone, please check out jmpta.com!
Oops, that should have been xysaid.com!
If you are an iPhone application developer and would be interested in displaying ads and making $$ within your iPhone application. Check out:
http://www.adspeek.com and/or send us an email at: info [at] adspeek.com.
We are a new location aware advertising platform. We also appreciate any feedback as well.
Thanks
User-based content services face an uphill struggle to generate enough initial content (this will largely fall to the beta testing community). Nevertheless, if nrme get it right, I can imagine this could become one of the truly “sticky” iPhone apps.
As well as needing controls to manage system abusers, I would also anticipate that some profile-based filtering – particularly for high-density urban areas – will be essential.
If I am on the South Bank, do I want to know that skaters are pulling sick tricks outside the National Film Theatre, or that there are free tickets available to a new digital screening inside?
Advertising revenue opportunities should be strong here – both for regular location-based promotions of happy hours etc., but also one-off, live promotions.
http://www.cmog...-stock-near-me/
This is the future of lbs based social networking if it gets by..