Popcorn Messaging
Consumer and social
location-based chat
SHOW HN2013
126points
130comments
#170of 1,739 in 2013
Top 10%of 2013 by points
How HN took it
CuriousMostly questions and neutral comments
14 positive, 45 neutral or asking, 7 mixed, 15 critical, out of 81 comments about the project. Thread score -0.01.
Idea: 13 for, 4 againstExecution: 1 for, 8 againstDesign: 0 for, 2 againstDocs: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Fixed radius keeps the feeling of nearby connection
From 2 comments
I think that's a good point. If the fixed radius is an important feature you keep it. It sounds like it's the reason the app exists, and to change it would simply turn the app…
interpol_p on HNIn rural areas in North America, you might expect people to be much further away, but since everyone has to drive for everything anyways, it's not that big of a deal. I think it…
MichaelGG on HN
Good idea that fills a gap in local anonymous messaging
From 2 comments
My location isn't unlocked yet, but this has the ingredients for brilliance. Marries the desire for privacy with the desire to feel connected to a local community... without…
tsheng on HNI almost created one of these, except for news. Hyper-local news is largely missing - I was going to mash up Twitter, Instagram, and in-app updates to help people get a sense of…
jcutrell on HN
Objections
Chat becomes unreadable when many areas overlap or clusters form at radius edges
From 2 comments
I'm curious about how this actually works, geometrically. Example: A <----> B <----> C Those are three people. Imagine each segment is 1 mile long. So A can see B; B can see C;…
nilkn on HNI'm already seeing this happen on a consistent basis, it's making the chat basically unreadable. Seems like a major oversight.
anderskev on HN
Chicken-and-egg problem: needs critical mass of users in each area
From 2 comments
The chicken and egg problem can be pretty frustrating with an app like this. There needs to be a critical mass of users in a certain area for it to be reliable, which is easier…
austinl on HNHow will I know my area is unlocked unless I'm constantly checking the app? Also, does it take -just two- people to unlock? I'm guessing so because there is no way anyone within…
willchilcutt on HN
Fixed radius leaves areas empty with no one to talk to
From 1 comment
Less exciting if there's no one using the app within that radius though, no?
tempestn on HN
Not available on iOS 6 or on Android
From 2 comments
Well, I would have tried it, but upon installation, it says: requires iOS7. Sorry, not going to happen :)
chris_engel on HNIs this available on Android?
Abundnce10 on HN
Requests
Support for older iOS versions and Android
From 2 comments
Well, I would have tried it, but upon installation, it says: requires iOS7. Sorry, not going to happen :)
chris_engel on HNIs this available on Android?
Abundnce10 on HN
Push notifications
From 2 comments
yep, just two! i just pushed an update that includes push notifications. you might need to log out and back in, but it should show the prompt. from there im coding in a…
drum on HNturns out you're right. anybody have suggestions on how to fix this?
drum on HN
Adaptive or grouped radius so clusters stay usable
From 2 comments
Why not group people into free-form clusters based on user density? So, if you have 5 people that are effectively in the same building, and 3 people that are outside of it in…
btgeekboy on HNWow - sounds kinda hostile and doesn't really address the original point (sorry if I'm misreading your response). What's so special about the exact mile radius that couldn't be,…
oneeyedpigeon on HN
Show whether anyone is nearby
From 2 comments
This looks really nice! I was very impressed at the download speed, so good job on that one. All I'm really missing is something telling me if anyone is nearby. That's probably…
languagehacker on HNit would be great to see closest online person to chat if there is no one in 1-mile. (Of course chat will be inactivated with that person)
smtbsrn on HN
Questions
How does the geometry work when people are two miles apart but both within range of a middle person?
From 1 comment
I'm curious about how this actually works, geometrically. Example: A <----> B <----> C Those are three people. Imagine each segment is 1 mile long. So A can see B; B can see C;…
nilkn on HN
Does it create a group room or pair users randomly?
From 1 comment
Creates a chat room with all the people around in it or it just randomly connects you to a single person?
AbhishekBiswal on HN
Alternatives named
Twinkle
From 1 comment
A 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…
danudey on HN
Whisper
From 2 comments
This reminds me a lot of a webapp I built called Whisper: http://zyu.me:5000/ https://github.com/tlhunter/whisper You aren't limited to just one mile though, you can change the…
renownedmedia on HNMy location isn't unlocked yet, but this has the ingredients for brilliance. Marries the desire for privacy with the desire to feel connected to a local community... without…
tsheng on HN
Cybiko
From 1 comment
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…
zoba on HN
JuicyCampus
From 1 comment
JuicyCampus for the mobile age. And this time administrators banning it from campus wi-fi won't do any good, with everyone on 3G and LTE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JuicyCampus
bcherry on HN
WeChat
From 1 comment
There is an app like this (I think - as I can't download this one) called WeChat which has a similar functionality. Not sure about the popularity in the US but in Asia it is huge…
wingerlang on HN