WTF is a Blipp? Augmented reality, that’s what.

Flipping through today’s Metro I came across an article about Iron Man’s Tony Stark (a/k/a Robert Downey Jr.).

With my tickets to Iron Man 3 already secured, I paused to see what insight I could get before the movie tonight.

Former bad boy…

Drug habit…

Avengers..

Blah, blah, blah…

Wait, what’s this?

“Blipp This!”

Hmmm…

“If you want to try on the Iron Man suit, Blipp the photo below..”

Blipp the photo?

WTF is a Blipp?

Curious, I download the Blippar app and point it at the page.

Blippar – who comes up with this shit?

Anyway, I launch the app and a zillion little red dots scan the page until they lock onto something, and then this..

Metro before Blippar…

Becomes this.

Metro after Blippar.

Pretty cool.

Not novel, but cool.

Clicking on the tabs, I was able to put my face inside the Iron Man suit (snore), and read (another) review (snore).

The exclusive interview with Don Cheadle was a pure tease, because the link didn’t work.

It was so exclusive no one could read it? watch it?

Who the fuck knows.

App fail.

Nice try though.

Blippar is one of the latest entrants into the augmented reality space, giving traditional two-dimensional ads a three dimensional makeover.

And providing brands and advertisers, with the ability to create interactive, feature-rich opportunities to enhance audience engagement.

While still in it’s infancy, there is a lot of promise in augmented reality.

Metro touted today’s issue as it’s first “interactive edition” which means that there are more to come.

I previously wrote about my experience with Spiderman and an augmented cereal box.

Back then, I was talking about Aurasma, one of the early entrants into the space.

Since that time, many more players have joined the race.

Did you notice the rhyme in those last two sentences? Space, race. I’m a poet and don’t even know it!

Blippar has been doing some really cool things with a number of brands, including Bud Light, Justin Bieber, Wrigley’s gum and Dominos.

You can check out their Blipps page to see some of them.

One of the limitations to widepread AR adoption, though, is the fact that you’ve got to download an app to take advantage of it.

Most people aren’t going to do that, especially if there are competing systems.

Think QR codes and Microsoft Tags.

It’s not like anyone who already had a QR code reader installed on their device saw a Microsoft Tag and was like, “Oooo! I really want to see where that takes me, let me go to the app store and cop that app.”

And it’s highly unlikely that once someone selects an AR app, they’re going to get a second (or third) one to view a different promo.

Hopefully one day, this functionality will be built directly into your device, with handset manufacturers utilizing a uniform AR platform.

With the AR space still so fragmented it will probably be a while before any app achieves a significant foothold and/or becomes the standard.

But seeing another use of augmented reality in the wild tells me that an AR future is not far off.

Google Now and Siri. Friends or Enemies? Frenemies.

There can only be one!

Didja hear?

Google Now is now available on iOS!

Aren’t you glad?

No?

Are you saying you’re not up on Google Now?

Google’s version of the personal assistant.

Well let me disabuse you of your ignorance.

About a year ago, when Google introduced it’s intelligent personal assistant for Android , many prognosticated the end of Siri.

Although Google Now wasn’t available for iOS, it was compelling and differed starkly from Apple’s PA offering.

For one, there was no Q&A.

You didn’t have to ask Google Now anything in order to get information.

Simply dial up the app, and it presented you with multiple options, all gleaned from you.

No questions asked.

More importantly, Google Now was intelligent.

Siri is stupid.

No learning curve.

No matter how many times you ask Siri a question, she’ll never intuit that you may be asking her to repeat a function she’s performed in the past.

Dumb dumb. You make me sick.

On the flip side, Google Now takes all the information it already knows about you and serves it back to you before you’ve even thought to ask.

The more you do (within the Google suite), the smarter it becomes.

Sounds bananas right?

How the heck can it tell you something about something you haven’t even asked about?

Magic, duh!

No seriously.

Google Now is an ‘intelligent assistant’, because it learns about it’s user based on that user’s activity and their previous history in other Google applications and services.

Say you’re heading out and start searching for a restaurant, Google Now will show you theaters and night clubs around you to hit afterwards.

Are you a fan of sports? Google Now will automatically update you on the latest scores from all the NBA playoff games.

That was then.

This is now.

And the feared rivalry is no longer conjecture.

Google Now for iOS is here!

Don’t look for it in the App Store though.

It’s not a stand alone app.

It’s an update to another app, Google Search.

I’ve got the Google Search app on my iPhone.

And lo and behold! There’s an update for it.

Update the app and Google Now is front and center with a little informational video.

Click through the navigation buttons, and Google Now walks you through the various utilitarian ways that it can help you.

From traffic alerts on your commute to work.

To flight information when you travel.

Google Now places a bunch of ‘cards’ at the bottom of the search screen, which you simply swipe up from the bottom to access.

My initial foray into Google Now served up the weather and a bunch of restaurants around the office.

There was also a card with an upcoming conference call.

Snorelax!

I’m sure folks with more exciting lives – or who live in Google – have infinitely more exciting stuff popping off.

If you’re (justifiably) paranoid about the privacy implications of yet another Google service, rest easy.

You’ve got to authorize the app to use your personal information.

But once you do look out!

Not really.

There are a bunch of things you can do on an Android which you can’t on your iOS device.

So that clever little swipe up from the bottom of the phone to activate Google Now – deaded.

Things like Fandango, Boarding Pass, and Events are all off limits too.

Not much of a rivalry.

I doubt I’ll remember to use the search app to look for shit anyway, even though its on my device.

So I probably won’t get much out of Google Now.

But the rest of you blokes should use it and tell me what you think.

Is Google Now the right information at just the right time?

Or will this be just another unused app icon sitting on your phone?

Twitter #music. #WTF? Twitter throws it’s app into the music ring.

Didja hear about the new Twitter #music app?

No, that’s not a mistake.

Not the “didja”.

I know didja is not a word.

I’m talking about the name of the app.

Twitter #music.

Yes. The hashtag is part of the name.

They’ve taken this hashtag thing too far!

Anyway, today Twitter released it’s new music discovery app with an exclusive on Good Morning America.

Why Good Morning America?

Who the fuck knows.

Let’s move on, shall we?

Write-ups in TechCrunch and Wired said that the app helps you find new music.

And I was curious to check out Twitter’s entry into the music biz.

So I downloaded the app and put it through its paces.

When you download the app, you’re presented with four tabs.

Twitter Charts, Follow Artists, Tweet Tracks and Listen Now.

Don’t bother pressing the icons. They don’t do anything.

Getting to each tab is as simple as a swipe.

What does the app do?

Well, its supposed to help you find music and artists you like.

To get started, you’ve got to click “Listen Now” on the fourth tab.

I pressed the little icons from the home screen like a moron (think Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in Zoolander) before I realized how to use the damn thing.

Frustration aside, Twitter #music isn’t half bad.

If you select Popular (highlighted on the Twitter Charts page), the app will show you music that’s trending on Twitter.

Select Emerging (similarly highlighted) and you’ll find hidden gems that folks are posting in their Tweets.

Find hidden talent in your tweets.

Sign in, and you can now share your music preferences with your followers.

And peep music from artists and friends.

Now don’t get it twisted, Twitter #music isn’t Pandora, Last.fm or any other streaming music service.

You’re only getting snippets of the songs.

But if you want to listen to the whole song, you can sign in to your Spotify or rdio account.

Hear something you want to own, you buy it right from iTunes.

I was lost for an hour messing around with this damn thing.

It’s quite addictive.

I dig the UI for the app, which is clean and polished.

Aside from the Zoolander landing screen/tabs thing, everything else works intuitively.

Menus are easy to get to.

And navigation is a breeze.

I guess that’s what happens when your beta testers are artists and music industry insiders.

If you’ve got cash to burn, you can really get things right.

Twitter’s follow-up to Vine is a doozy.

I predict that Twitter #music is going to #takeovermusic.

But don’t take my word for it.

Cop the app for yourself and you’ll see.

UPDATE: Funk Flex is so digital. And so mobile too.

FunkMaster Flex is one of the most widely recognized DJs in the world.

He’s an on-air personality and radio icon whose name is synonymous with New York.

He has broken a slew of records and established innumerable artists.

His ‘bomb drops’ are the virtual equivalent of a platinum plaque.

If Flex drops a bomb on your record, you’ve made it.

Flex is not just a master of the airwaves.

He’s also recognized as a serious car enthusiast.

Flex is a staple at car shows.

His passion for cars rivals that of Jay Leno.

But what I find intriguing about him, is his digital game.

When it comes to online and social media, Flex is not to be trifled with.

In fact, he frequently states “I’m so digital NY,” on his daily slot on Hot 97 FM.

With over 687,000 Twitter followers, almost 67,000 likes on Facebook, and over 166,000 followers on Instagram, his digital footprint is impressive.

And now, it appears that he’s crossed yet another threshold.

Mobile.

On Wednesday, Funk Flex dropped the FunkMaster Flex iPhone app.

Having previously announced the release of DJ Rich Medina’s app a few months ago, I was curious to see what Flex was coming with.

So I went to the App Store and downloaded it.

At first blush, it seems like a fairly simple app.

The home screen alternates between images of Flex, black t-shirt clad, hat to back, pointing menacingly at the camera.

Atop his image sits his familiar red FMF logo.

At the very bottom of the screen is a music player, featuring a play/pause and fast forward buttons, and short description/title of what’s playing.

Between the image of Flex and the music player, sits a clever little carousel.

With icons that allow you to navigate to the various other features of the app.

There are sixteen such little icons.

Which makes this simple seeming app, not so simple after all.

Indeed, the app is, as Flex likes to say, “a beast.”

First of all, it’s chock full of music.

In addition to the music player on the home page, tapping the Music icon takes you to even more pages of music.

Flex gives you instrumentals, remixes, mix tapes and songs for days.

And it’s not just Flex’s stuff either.

Cats like Swizz Beats, Timbaland, the Neptunes, Just Blaze, Pete Rock and others have blessed Flex’s app with some well known (and obscure) instrumentals.

Selecting the grid in the top left corner navigates you back to the home page.

From there, features like Pictures or Videos, transport you deeper into Flex’s world.

There’s also a Store feature, which is kinda wack because its the full HTML site on the phone.

But aside from that, there are other fan specific features that make it a cool app.

Now, you must know, I’m no fan of Flex.

If you peep his show, he’s a bully.

He regularly clowns other DJs and basically talks smack.

Considering how long he’s been in the game, you’d imagine he would have matured and achieved a more elevated mindset.

Not so much.

Ego is a bitch.

The day I downloaded the app, I was incredulous.

FunkMaster Flex has an app?

I couldn’t accept it.

So I did a lil’ digging and the app is really just a template.

Almost indistinguishable from at least twelve other apps developed by Salcedo Mobile.

Salcedo has created DJ apps for a host of lesser-known Spanish (or is the correct term Hispanic?) DJs.

They took the meat of the app – all those wonderful features – and reskinned it for Flex.

So while the app is still quite dope, it’s not original.

And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Says Stephen sarcastically.

I’ve got to give Flex credit though, because the app is dope.

And selecting Salcedo Mobile as his developer sets the bar high for other DJs interested in getting into the app game.

Props aside, one thing noticeably absent from the release of Flex’s app: promo.

Outside of hearing the announcement, there’s no mention of the app anywhere.

If you Google it, nada.

Check InFlexWeTrust.com, nada.

Even if you visit the developer’s site, it’s not listed among their portfolio of apps.

But I’m sure that Flex’s loyal fans will get the word out, so that may be all the promotion it needs.

UPDATE: As of Wednesday, April 17, exactly one week after the release of the DJ Funk Flex app, the app is number 11 (free iPhone music apps) in the App Store.

Funk Flex has some loyal fans.

Need to do dirt? Get you a Burner (app).

When Techcrunch, Engadget and Gizmodo all talk about the same thing on the same day, my Spidey-senses start tingling.

So you can imagine the buzzing in my head reading about the release of Burner for Android today.

Don’t want to call your ‘herbologist‘ mom from your regular phone?

Can’t remember if the girl you copped that number from last night was cute (or not)?

Girlfriend mad at you and not responding to your texts?

Take no chances.

Burner is the solution for all that (telephonically) ails you.

The Burner app let’s you spoof your mobile phone number.

Instead of seeing your real number in the caller ID or as the source of a text message, your callers/text recipients see your Burner number instead.

Genius!

I took Burner for a spin and hit up my herbologist mom.

Getting set up was a cinch.

I downloaded the app from the App Store, entered my phone number and got an SMS with a verification code.

Once I plugged in the code, accepted the Ts&Cs and waited a few seconds, I was in.

Burner works off credits, which dictate how long your Burner number lasts.

Hence ‘burner’.

On the low end, there’s the Mini burner, which lasts 7 days, or 20 minutes talk time or 60 texts.

At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the Large or Long burner, which lasts 60 days, or 75 minutes talk time or 225 texts.

But you get a sample Burner right off the bat.

I’m not sure how much credits cost, but the next time I need to call my herbologist mom, I’ll let you know.

That’s my Burner number.

Feel free to give me a call or send me a text.

It’s a burner, so don’t sleep. The number will be gone tomorrow!

Need to do dirt? Get your Burner (app) on!

Facebook Home? NOMHS (Not On My Home Screen)

You’ve heard of NIMBY?

The acronym that stands for Not In My Back Yard?

It was coined by residents of towns and municipalities protesting attempts to place waste processing facilities and other similarly undesirable development close to them.

Well Facebook’s latest initiative, Home, intends to place a “takeover” app on your phone that would essentially make Facebook your default home screen.

The Facebook Home family of apps would replace the standard home screen of an Android user with an “immersive Facebook experience” that includes Facebook status updates from your friends, Facebook notifications and full screen photographs.

Facebook Home would essentially allow you to push all your Facebook-related content permanently to your phone’s home screen, giving you the ability to make Facebook your go-to app for all things social.

The centerpiece of the Facebook Home app is the ability to chat and message with your friends without having to navigate away from whatever you’re doing on your phone at the time.

The Chat Heads feature (who names this shit?) displays the face of the person attempting to message you, allowing you to immediately pull up and respond to the chat thread, without skipping a beat.

Tap the head, post your response, and you’re off.

Nifty right?

Wrong!

Facebook’s Home is a handsome Trojan Horse.

They have been talking Facebook Phone for a minute, getting everyone all hot and heavy, thinking Facebook was about to get into the handset game.

But they pulled a switcheroo and dropped Home instead.

Essentially giving Facebook the benefit of another massive installed user base, with none of the heavy lifting involved in creating a phone from scratch.

By piggybacking on the Android operating system, which is already Facebook friendly, Home gives Android users (aka suckas) the chance to spend every waking hour with Facebook.

Without having to open and close the app to do so…

Because its always on.

Will the wonders of time wasting technology never cease?

While folks debate whether Facebook will use their new app to push more advertising or not (yes they will)…

Or whether Facebook will use their app to collect data on users or not (yes they will)…

I take solace in the fact that this foolishness is Android only.

Apple is not so enamored with Facebook that they’d give up all that precious real estate to an app.

I won’t have to worry about the time (and battery) black hole drain it will invariably cause.

And I’m sorry, Facebook simply isn’t that important.

Facebook Home? Not on my home screen. Bitches!

American Idol. The so-so show with an over-the-top app.

I can’t speak for the rest of you, but I haven’t watched American Idol for years.

After 11 years of auditions, Hollywood highs and elimination lows, the show has lost whatever modicum of appeal it once held.

When Simon left, I knew the honeymoon was over.

No amount of judge musical chairs, worst-of reels or Nicki Minaj artificial booty bumps could change my mind.

Nevertheless, millions still tune in each season, making AI one of the highest rated shows on TV.

This year marks the twelfth season for the franchise.

The season’s highlights include a highly publicized cat fight between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, the return of a four judge panel and the American Idol app.

That’s right.

American Idol has an app.

And if you’re a fan of the show, you’re in luck.

The app launched in January (to coincide with the new season, I suppose).

They’re up to version 1.4, so they’ve been putting in work.

FYI – American Idol went all in, making it the most feature-filled app I’ve ever seen.

Literally.

Hands down.

Don’t believe me?

Check it.

The menu alone has 19 different menu items, excluding the Live Sync and Setting options.

Have you ever seen so many options?

They include Vote, AT&T Fan Choice, Idol VIP Sweeps, News, Video, Photos, etc.

With all these options, they’ve got the nerve to have a section called “Idol Extras” below the fold.

Extras?

American Idol has clearly never heard the expression “enough is enough” because they pour it on.

And not necessarily in a good way.

If you go to the home page, you’re presented with a layout that reminds me of the Windows Mobile UI with all those damn tiles.

Scary.

The main banner on the home page includes a countdown clock counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the next show airs.

Underneath that are a repeating series of four grouped thumbnails, which let users navigate to different sections of the app.

An ad appears between each group of thumbnails peddling AT&T, contests and sweepstakes, and various AI branding and marketing messages.

There are feeds to the judges and contestants’ social media profiles, videos, and links to artist websites.

Keith Urban’s Light the Fuse Tour features prominently on the home page (judges need some artist love too!).

One of the more controversial elements of season twelve is the change in voting.

Where you used to be able to place votes one at a time for your favorite artist over the phone, online and via text, you can now place 50 votes at once through the app.

50 votes!

You can divy up those vote however you please for whomever you please.

The app does a good job of helping fans to manage this new power.

Last night, I didn’t actually watch the show, but I did watch the Top 8 Perform Recap video in the app.

It took forever to load – I had to quit the app and restart before I could actually watch it.

But I digress.

I placed my fifty votes and found the vote counter very useful for keeping track of how many votes I had placed and how many I had left.

The main landing pages of American Idol’s app feel like a Tumblr blog, with simple navigation.

Touch an image and it opens.

Simple.

But for all the content they’ve got, some pages seem like they were just thrown in with no rhyme or reason.

They lack the design sensibility and UI logic of the main pages.

The AT&T Fan Choice option for example, opens up a page of promotional offers that are clearly pulled straight from the web.

The content is resized to fit inside a mobile wrapper, but someone clearly didn’t think about how making lilliputian pages would impact the text and the navigation.

There are a bunch of other pages and features that I won’t get into, because I found the app exhausting.

My biggest peeves with many apps, including this one, is that they do too much.

When it comes to apps, less is more.

Unless you’ve got ADD.

I’d rather see an app do a few things really well, then a butt load of things so-so.

And while the Voting feature is crown jewel of the American Idol app, it doesn’t save it from being a hot mess.

At the end of the day, if you’re reeeaaaallllyyyy into Idol (and you have ADD), then I’m sure you’re love the app.

Everyone else, not so much.

American Idol had the right idea, but (unfortunately for we non-American Idol fans) their execution leaves much to be desired.

The new Aeropostale app is here! And I’m great.

I’ve been siting on a juicy tidbit of information for a few weeks now.

I wanted to blab about it, but I had to play it close to the vest until it was official.

Today, my client forwarded a link from Mobile Commerce Daily, letting the cat out of the bag, so I guess I can share.

The new Aeropostale app has arrived!

What’s the big deal, you ask?

Well, if you must know, both of the Aeropostale apps described in the Mobile Commerce Daily article are my projects.

So I take great pride in this announcement.

The Aeropostale iPad in-store kiosk, which was developed for their concept store in Roosevelt Field Mall, is special for a number of reasons.

Not the least of which is the fact that it was my project.

Did I say that already?

I kid. I kid.

What makes the iPad app special is the thought that went into it.

Aeropostale wanted to make an interactive tablet app that would simultaneously engage the user with non-shopping related activities, while providing useful information and the ability to initiate and complete purchases (if they so desired).

The features, function, layout and UI were carefully designed to be visually engaging, provide ease of use and ultimately, fun.

With the Aeropostale iPad kiosk, they’ve achieved their desired end.

The center piece of the app is the Music player.

On the Music page, you can browse through the various songs on the playlist, Cover Flow style, and select the song you want to hear next.

Depending upon how many votes a song gets, it gets moved up in the playlist.

The other highlight of the app is the Outfit Builder, which lets users swipe through three carousels, tops, bottoms and accessories, and create an outfit of their own.

Once you’ve created a look to your liking, press the ‘Select This Outfit’ button.

And boom! Your outfit is built.

You can share or buy your outfit right on the spot.

You can even ask an associate to help you find the items you’ve selected while you’re in the store.

Other interesting features include a Video page, Style Guide, Scanner and Shop Online feature, which serves up a tablet optimized version of the Aeropostale site.

Version 2.o of Aeropostale’s iPhone app is also a thing to behold.

And I’m not just saying that because it’s my project.

Did I say that already?

I kid. I kid.

But seriously, their new app is the bees knees as the old timers say.

No seriously.

It’s really cool.

Check it.

Super fly feature numero uno: users can toggle between Aeropostale two brands, Aeropostale and PS, simply by clicking on either logo in the header.

Super fly, right?

So so def feature dos: Girls and Guys carousels on the Shop page let you swipe though all content categories.

So so def, right?

Three times dope feature tres: the Style page lets users browse and play videos and connect with Aeropostale’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest social media profiles.

Three times dope, right?

In addition to these super fly so so def three times dope features, the app has all your standard features and functions baked in.

To wit: store locator, coupons, scan, search, yada yada yada.

The list of stupendousness goes on and on, but I’d rather not prattle on endlessly about how great the apps I usher to life are.

You can download the app and see for yourself (how great I am).

If you’re a mom of teens/tweens, this app is definitely for you.

Aeropostale makes great, fairly priced stuff and this app makes it über easy to browse and buy on the go.

If you’re a teen/tween yourself, Aeropostale’s app are built with you in mind, so cop that app!

And congratulations on finding your way to my blog…please excuse my often foul mouth.

I can’t legitimately take all the credit though.

I’ve got a talented team of creatives, developers, QA and account managers – who I won’t specifically name here lest they steal my thunder – who helped make this app a success.

Anywho, Aeropostale’s apps have given me a reason to talk about myself.

Thank you Aero!

Note:  I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge that these apps were made possible through the hard work and dedication of Dianne Ramlochan. I was shamed into adding this footnote.

Jailbreak is here! Jailbreak is here!

After several long months of waiting, there is finally a Jailbreak for iOS 6.

I know most of you are like “so effing what?”

But for the geek technorati, this Jailbreak is a godsend.

In the past, I went through all kinds of conniptions to get my iOS devices jailbroken.

When word of a new jailbreak hit, it was on!

I’d head uptown, snaking my way through side streets and back alleys.

Special knock.

Password.

Think Neo getting a knock on his door in The Matrix.

A few hours of tinkering, backing up, installing and configuring and…Viola!

Jailbroken devices.

And free apps as far as the eye can see.

But that was before Hackulous and the Installous store were unceremoniously shuttered.

What?!

You didn’t know that Installous, the infamous pirate app store, shut down earlier this year?

Well it did.

Leaving many Jailbreak aficionados, like myself, in the dark about the future.

And with no way of getting our grubby hands on cracked and app store rejects.

For months we’ve been wandering an iOS wasteland, waiting for a Jailbreak messiah.

And we’ve been rewarded for our faith and patience.

Enter Evasion.

The Evasion jailbreak tool picks up where Installous left off.

For one, it makes jail breaking your phone a cinch.

I’ve never personally jailbroken my own phone.

Moreover, I never dreamed that I’d be able to jailbreak my own device in a matter of minutes.

It was so simple, that I found myself shell shocked.

I haven’t even visited Cydia to cop any new apps.

Now that’s not to say that I won’t.

I just haven’t yet.

I think the ease with which I was able to bypass Apple’s draconian efforts to bar third party app developers, dulled it’s appeal.

What good is being bad if everyone can do it?

A jailbroken device was a sign of anarchy.

But you’re not an anarchist if your actions are….ordinary.

In any instance, I’m just happy I’ve (once again) wrested control of my device from Apple.

And can trick my iPhone 5 out the way I want.

If you’re interested in joining the 7 million of us who have already tasted freedom, check out Redmondpie.com’s simple instructions for getting your jailbreak on.

Disclaimerm: Jailbreaking allows you to access apps and tools which have not been expressly blessed by Apple (=passed Apple’s vigorous muster). So whenever you install apps onto a jailbroken device, know that you run the risk of fucking some shit up.

Whatsapp? No seriously. WhatsApp.

Yesterday, I got put up on something, that I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know about.

It’s a messaging app called WhatsApp.

What’s a WhatsApp, you ask?

Well, its a cross-platform mobile messaging app, which lets you send and receive text messages for free.

It’s available for iPhones, Androids, Windows, Blackberry and Nokia devices.

According to their website, WhatsApp works on the same internet data plan that you currently use for your email and web browsing.

Unlike text messaging supplied by your carrier, which is subject to some per message rate or bundled with your call or data plan, WhatsApp messages don’t cost a thing.

You’ll never be charged for going over your allotted text message limits, because there are none.

The dude that put me on to WhatsApp was going on and on about how great it was.

You can send text messages to your contacts without having to remember their phone number.

You can text internationally.

You can send pictures and videos.

All things you can do right now without WhatsApp.

So what’s the big friggin deal?

Not to be completely ignorant, I downloaded WhatsApp so that he would stop bugging me.

Mind you, it’s not a free app.

It costs $.99.

I was willing to part with my money to shut him up.

Boom.

Got the app on my phone.

Now what?

Wait, can’t use it yet.

Need a verification code.

Plug in my cellphone number and wait.

A few seconds later, a text message with the code arrives.

Plug it in and then…

OMG!

Feigned excitement.

Up pops this dialogue box telling me that WhatsApp added all my friends who already use the app.

Whatchu talkin’ bout WhatsApp?!

Umm…why is this list like 200+ people?

Here I am holding myself out as the purveyor of all things tech.

And at least 200 people in my circle are up on some shit that I’m not!

A cursory glance through my ‘Favorites’ list tells me that it’s primarily my international peeps.

One of the selling points of the WhatsApp disciple was the fact that you could text internationally.

That makes sense.

If you’re constantly traveling or have family and friends in different countries, WhatsApp helps you keep in touch without breaking the bank.

Phew!

I feel considerably less inadequate.

International cats know how to save a buck, ya dig?

Playing with WhatsApp the past few days has me hooked.

Its got a bunch of interesting little features.

For example, each message you send is accompanied by a small green check mark.

Dude told me that a check mark meant that your message was delivered.

And a second check means that it’s been read.

Reading up on the WhatsApp FAQs page revealed the fallacy of his statement.

One check refers to the fact that your text has been delivered to their servers.

Two checks means that it’s been delivered to the phone of the person you’re chatting with.

But not necessarily that your message has been read.

Misinformation aside, the app does have its finer points.

WhatsApp lets you create group chats, customize your profile and status message, and save and/or email your chats sessions.

I can’t say that I’m a WhatsApp aficionado quite yet, but I’m getting comfortable.

With the exception of my boy who put me on, I haven’t really chatted with anyone else through the app though.

So I can’t say that it’s better than standard texting in any material sense.

But if you’re within the sound of my blog and you’ve got the app, I’d love to get your feedback.

Do you WhatsApp?