Blendr

Blendr
Developer(s) Blendr LLC
Initial release September 8, 2011 (2011-09-08)
Stable release Android:
2.55.7 / December 24, 2014
iOS:
3.16.0 / December 10, 2014
Operating system iOS, Android
Size 16 MB (Android)
31.7 MB (iOS)
Type Geosocial Networking
Website blendr.com

Blendr is a geosocial networking application and social discovery platform for Android, the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Facebook. It's designed to connect likeminded people or friends within close proximity. It was created by Joel Simkhai, and patterned after his successful app Grindr, which is primarily aimed at the gay and bisexual male community[1] and which is popular with gay men.[2] Blendr is "powered by" Badoo.[3]

Description

The application combines GPS location sensing with a social networking framework, to provide users with the opportunity to meet people who are within a close physical proximity.[1] The application can also be used to communicate with people in real time about a location, such as getting information about the current status of a local restaurant,[4] or for determining whether a club currently holds people that the user might want to meet.[2] Users must be over the age of 18.[5]

Users provide a photograph and basic information about their interests (though they are not required to give out their actual name or other personal details), and then are able to browse other people who are nearby to their present location. In order to protect the privacy of its users, the application only provides a rough estimate of the user's location, and also allows users to limit themselves to contact to people who meet their self-defined criteria.[6] Simkhai specifically designed Blendr to be less focused on casual sexual encounters than Grindr, intending it to be a tool for meeting new people who share common interests from business to hobbies and relationships of all types.[2] The company has strict rules forbidding the use of nudity, pictures or written descriptions of sexual acts, and racist statements or other hate speech.[7]

Platforms

Blendr is currently available through the website, or for iOS devices through the iTunes app store and for Android through Google Play. As of September 2012, the application is free and supported by advertising, with a subscription option for increased functionality.

History

Blendr was announced to the press at SXSW on March 14, 2011, under the code name Project Amicus.[8] The name "Blendr" was ultimately revealed when the app launched in the iTunes app store on September 8, 2011.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Medina, Mekhalo (8 September 2011). "A New Social Blendr". NBC LA. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Neate, Rupert (12 September 2011). "Welcome to Blendr, the straight dating app following in Grindr's footsteps". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "Badoo's Privacy Policy". Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  4. ↑ Sperance, Cameron (3 October 2011). "New social app raises fears". Boston Herald. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  5. ↑ Hudson, Alex (13 September 2011). "Love on the go? There's an app for that". BBC News. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  6. ↑ Wortham, Jenna (8 September 2011). "Finding an Instant Date Nearby, With an App". New York Times. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  7. ↑ "Blendr Profile Guidelines". Blendr LLC. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Kapp, Matt. "Grindr: Welcome to the World’s Biggest, Scariest Gay Bar". Vanity Fair. Conde Nast. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  9. ↑ Kapp, Matt (8 June 2011). "Grindr: Welcome to the World’s Biggest, Scariest Gay Bar". Retrieved 5 October 2011.
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