Top 5 Mobile Dating Apps

What’s the newest trend that is rapidly gaining acceptance? Online dating apps! You heard right- apps, not sites. Research says that more singles are taking their search for love wherever they go, with mobile apps on phones or other devices. The proliferation of dating apps is now taking love to a whole new level, remaking an industry that’s expected to reach $1.2 billion this year. ABCey has compiled a list of mobile apps that make finding a potential love interest simpler and easier than ever!

1. Blendr: Essentially a broader replica of the famed Grindr (which, of course, is also an option and owned by the same company), Blendr is designed to get you and the object of your desire together as quickly as possible. The app displays your potential partners based a little on a short interest survey and a whole lot on who’s currently nearby and willing. You can set how precise your displayed location is, meaning you can get as creepy or aloof as you want.

2. Tinder: Tinder’s user interface is simple and relatively clean compared to the other free dating apps floating around, and there’s a definite emphasis on anonymity, which turns out to be great for both privacy and pride’s sake. You anonymously pick who intrigues you nearby based on their picture, and if the object of your desire reciprocates, you’ll both be alerted. If they decline, you remain blissfully ignorant

3. OKCupid: For the traditionalists among you, OkCupid’s comprehensive app might make you the most comfortable. You’ll get all the perks of the traditional, web-based OkCupid matchups, with the added option of broadcasting your general location and your willingness to… uh… make a new friend. All you have to do is switch on the “Locals” option, and you can send messages to anyone else in the area who has done the same. The best part is that you get to feel less creepy by pretending its not just an app for finding nearby sex buddies but with all of the perks.

4. Let’s Date: This app has unveiled a new feature designed to help match users with others in the hope of finding something compatible. Calling it the Wingman feature, this Science-backed company allows men and women, who are not actively looking to date, the ability to scour through the service’s dating pool and share the dater cards of interesting people with their single friends. This feature is available on its iOS app today.

5. Badoo: Top rated and the world’s largest social network that you probably haven’t yet heard of, Badoo is brilliantly effective at providing one simple and universally compelling service: hooking up members according to their profile pictures and location. “Chat, flirt, socialise and have fun!,” implores the home page, alongside photos of prospective friends.

How do you feel about online dating apps? Are there any we missed? And of course, if you need help planning that big date- you know who to ask! Let us know which ones you’ve tried in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Startup Monday: Wanderable

Unique and new experiences can often be a more valuable gift than any new cookware or furniture. This is why Wanderable, a site for honeymoon registries, is such a great tool for wedding couples. Not only that, Wanderable also makes the tedious task of sending out thank you cards a breeze! At ABCey, we think that it’s a wonderful idea and would recommend this to any couple about to tie the knot!

One of the best aspects of Wanderable is that it will also help you plan your honeymoon by suggesting destinations and activities based on your travel style. Wanderable also gives you the control to customize your registry and make it beautiful with designer themes and various layouts. You can even choose your own custom link!

Wanderable makes it equally easy for you share your new and exciting experiences with the very people that helped pay for it. With the iPhone app, you can make a real or virtual postcard with the snap of your camera phone and a personal message to your guests. Wanderable will save you a trip (or more) to the post office by stamping and mailing your postcards. Finally, it keeps track of you who you’ve sent a thank-you card to and who you have yet to thank. Super!

With the help of Wanderable, you are able cut down one more stressful component of planning your wedding. Would you try Wanderable for your upcoming nuptuals? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Illuminode: Mind Glowing Social Technology

Are you looking for something to “brighten up” your next event? Let us introduce you to Illuminode, where lighting meets art, technology and a completely new type of media for socializing. Illuminode creates full-spectrum, interactive LED illumination for fashion, brands, events, artists, architects and beyond. Since we’re fairly concerned with events over here at ABCey, we thought would look into it more for you...

They aren’t just creating “pretty lights” for an event; their initiative is to create a new way for devices to connect and communicate wirelessly to form social relationships the same way that people do. The Illuminode team consists of electrical engineers, logistics specialists, and designers who create these large scale social technologies. One of their first prototypes and one of our favorites are the “Social Umbrellas.” The LED umbrellas are inherently social and will not work alone. When joined by two or more noded umbrellas they explode in a brilliant display of sequenced light!

We also absolutely love the Billion Jelly Bloom projects where Illuminode integrates their wireless Blinkternet modules into the wonderful creatures to provide a brand new interactive experience!

Illuminode devices should have particular appeal to event planners with their easy and simple set-up. Do you think you will try this “mind-glowing social technology” for your next event? How do you think your audience/guests could use these devices to interact, or to help facilitate and reinforce relationships? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

Tech on Tuesday: Tingo

When you’re debating whether or not to attend an out-of-town event, the last thing you want to worry about is hotel prices. Nobody likes booking a hotel room only to find out that the price dropped. UGH! ABCey came across a new service called Tingo, which automatically gives you a refund if the price of your hotel room drops. As event planners, this is something great to recommend to guests and invitees of your events.

A TripAdvisor subsidiary, Tingo aims to prevent those frustrating phone calls to the hotel or booking company trying to get reimbursed. Many times, conferences and popular events will offer you hotel deals. If, however, the designated hotel is all booked up you may rely on Tingo to get ultimately get you the best deal. For example, if you’re attending a weekday event in New York City, they saw prices drop at an average of almost $40 within a 30-day period. Here for a wedding in San Francisco? 136 hotels dropped an average of $52.

Clearly, there is money to be saved and with this tool you just might be able to convince that hesitant event guest to attend your event! Furthermore, why waste that extra money when you can spend it elsewhere and enjoy the city you’re visiting a little bit more? Let us know if you’ve had any experiences with Tingo or if you’re going to give it a whirl in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Tech Tuesday: AnyMeeting

Many of us have experienced the struggle to communicate with bosses, coworkers and contractors because we’re all not in the same spot at once. We’ve recently come across AnyMeeting here at ABCey, your new best friend for online meetings or conferences and specially tailored for small businesses!

Any Meeting is super easy to use, so even first-timers will be able to find their way around the software. Users can host an unlimited number of webinars with up to 200 users per session, and several options are offered for presenters to engage with their audience. They include status updates, chats, polls and the ability to send links which will pop up your screen. There is no client software to install, which means no last minute scrambling to join the meeting.

AnyMeeting’s complete set of features include:

Holding Small or Large Sized Meetings
Screen Sharing
Playing YouTube Videos
Recording Meetings
Twitter and Facebook Integration
Sending Invites & RSVP’s
Personal Meeting URL
6-Way Video Conferencing
Social Profile Page

Let us know what you think of AnyMeeting and if you plan to give it a try! Leave us a comment below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Top 5 Valentine’s Day Apps

Every year, we spend a whopping $17.6 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day. How lucky for Hallmark! ABCey has compiled a list of the most useful V-Day related apps, whether you’re celebrating or single. We hope you ♥ them!

1. Helpful Romantic: Maybe you’re finding yourself a little unprepared, and maybe this app can (definitely) help you. It has last-minute date ideas and suggestions based on your significant others personality. You can even store highlights of your relationship so you never forget!

2. Valentine’s Day Special: This app is chalk-full of V-Day poems, ways to say I love you, love poems, and even the best love making songs (not so sure about this one).

3. Red Stamp: Skip those lame cards this year and send a personalized e-card to your loved one via e-mail or text! You can even go for the snail-mail route for a small charge.

4. Crowded Room: Single this Valentine’s Day? This app is perfect to help you find a special someone. Check in where you are, and where you’re headed that night, and the app will help you meet people with similar interests! Good thing it works for the other 364 days of the year, too!

5. OpenTable: Haven’t made a reservation yet? Fear not, this app will allow you to see what is still available in their database of over 15,000 restaurants across the US, Canada and UK! Keep using the app and earn dining cheques: good at any OpenTable restaurant.

6. Love Scan: Try this super corny app with your loved one for a love match percentage and a laugh (all based on a fingerprint scan).

Let us know which apps you like best and what your plans are for this Valentine’s Day. Leave us a comment below or find us on Facebook & Twitter.

Startup Monday: Swish

ABCey Events is always on the hunt for the latest gadgets or tools that will serve as unique event gifts or help us to better plan an event. This just got a whole lot easier with Swish! Swish, which only launched this past Friday, offers VERY new (not-yet-made) products from creators and inventors across the world. Each product gets a 30-day pre-order campaign giving all Swish users the chance to be one of the first people to own a new product.

If you’re hosting a tech event maybe you want to include a Card Ninja in your gift bag? I just finished baking an absurd amount of brownies for a Super Bowl party and could actually use the Ultimate Spatula. There are tons of innovative items that would be very helpful for event planners (and everyone) on this site. Furthermore, never before has your order for something been so meaningful.

Swish co-founder Heather Brundage tells us, “We want to give consumers a voice like the App Store or Reddit, where you get to go and say ‘Hey, I want that!’ and not be limited by what only big retailers think you will like.” When you order a product, you signify to everyone else and the public that the product is worthy and has value – moving it up on the Crowd Favorite list. Your order invariably helps inventors determine a demand for their creation which gives them the go-ahead to ramp up production.

If Fab and Kickstarter had a startup baby, Swish would be their child. It is creative, fun gadgets and products for sale with a little crowdfunding thrown in the mix. It might take them a few months (or up to a year) to get these brand-new products to you, however, you will have the ultimate satisfaction that you’ll be one of the first people to get your hands on an awesome new product that you helped become a reality!

What’s your favorite product on their site? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Top 10 Travel Sites

President’s Day Weekend is right around the corner, and wouldn’t it be nice to get away for a quick vacation? There’s nothing better than a well planned and inexpensive trip. ABCey has compiled a list of the best and easiest websites for your travel needs!

1. Kayak scours hundreds of online sources for the cheapest fare available. The more flexible you are on time and destination, the better your chances of finding a great deal.

2. Bing Travel can help you bite the bullet and buy your ticket, or not, with its “price predictor,” which forecasts whether fares will go up or down.

3. Airfare Watchdog works best for travelers ready to take off at the drop of a deal. Their employees are constantly on travel sites waiting for price drops.

4. WhichBudget will help you build an inexpensive, overseas flight plan by using local, budget airlines — a great way to save on international travel.

5. Dishtip organizes the world of eating out in the United States a whole new way. You let it know a specific dish you want to eat, and it will find the best restaurants in the area with that particular item (rated by reviews, etc).

6. Hotels.com lets you search just one site for accommodations at more than 150,000 properties. It’s particularly great for it’s last-minute deals.

7. iExplore offers more adventurous trips (hiking and biking, for example), as well as multi-sport tours. It also boasts expert advice on “experiential travel,” such as a wildlife safari or a culinary tour.

8. Google Flights shows all flight prices on the web on one simple to use page.

9. Yapta tracks fares for you and will shoot you an e-mail or Tweet if the cost of your selected flight drops. After you buy your ticket, if the price falls below what you paid, most airlines and online travel agencies will refund you the difference, usually in the form of travel credits or vouchers.

10. Expats Blog is an extremely useful information tool by expatriates who have lived in a destination long enough to know it intimately, but still maintain an outsider’s perspective.

Do you think you’ll take advantage of these sites? Let us know if you any of these aid in your vacation planning in the commments below or on Facebook & Twitter!

TechCrunch Crunchies Coverage: Biggest Social Impact

ABCey Events is super excited for tomorrow’s 2012 Crunchie Awards here in our beloved SF! For our final awards coverage, we wanted to spotlight the startups that are up for Biggest Social Impact, those that have contributed to some meaningful and significant social impact in our society.

1. Donors Choose – Donors Choose is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers post classroom project requests on the site, and one can give any amount to the project that most inspires. When a project reaches its funding goal, Donors Choose ship the materials to the school. In return, donors get photos of the project taking place, a letter from the teacher, and insight into how every dollar was spent. Give over $50 and you’ll also receive hand-written thank-yous from the students. This truly makes giving back an easy and fun task. After all, we’ve all been there when someone ate all the glue.

2. Indiegogo – Indiegogo is a crowdfunding platform where people who want to raise money can create fundraising campaigns to tell their story and get the word out. Indiegogo is also a place to discover what people all over the world are passionate about and how to get involved. IndieGoGo campaigns receive all the money they have been pledged, whether the initial funding goal was reached or not. IndieGoGo is available internationally.

3. Kickstarter – Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. They are particularly useful and great for finding and funding creative projects such as music albums or indie movies. Every project creator sets their project’s funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal, all backers’ credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short, no one is charged. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.4. Kiva – Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Loans funded through Kiva have a 98 percent repayment rate, so the money you lend to a small business owner is likely to come back to you. By connecting people through lending, Kiva has empowered small businesses and served as an important catalyst for positive change and job growth.

5. Reddit – Reddit is a source for what’s new and popular on the web. Users like you provide all of the content and decide, through voting, what’s good and what’s junk. Links that receive community approval bubble up towards #1, so the front page is constantly in motion and (hopefully) filled with fresh, interesting links. This is far more effective and significant than when you “like” something on Facebook. Interestingly, Mashable has a complete section devoted to “Reddit Facts” learned each week.

Which of these startups have made the most social impact on your life? Who did you vote for? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.

Startup Monday: DudaMobile

We all have had that annoying and frustrating experience while on our mobile phones… when a particular web-page we try to view just won’t load properly, is a tiny version of the desktop website or the formatting is all wrong! This week, we are excited to feature DudaMobile, a simple mobile website builder that offers features geared toward small businesses including one-click site conversion, auto-sync between the regular site and mobile site, click-to-call widget, mobile maps and site analytics.

Having a mobile site is becoming a necessity. As reported recently in CNET News, almost 1/3 of all Internet search traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets. “In some categories, such as restaurant search, mobile already accounts for that share of search. And in several categories important to advertisers — electronics, beauty, finance, and autos — mobile searches are rapidly climbing.”

Cliff Sarkin, Duda’s Director of Operations tells us, “as more and more people search and browse the web on their mobile devices, businesses are stepping up their game to get in front of their customers by having a mobile presence. Duda is knocking down hurdles by making mobile websites easy to build and cost effective.”

At ABCey, we’ve just created our new mobile site and found our experience with Duda to be quick and fun! And, we love the results! Check it out below — and on your iPhone, Android or Blackberry.

While they do offer a custom build option, DudaMobile is primarily a DIY (do-it-yourself) website maker. You can create your mobile site in 3 fairly simple steps which we pictured below. Once in the editor, you can choose from a large selection of templates and pallets, and there are lots of ways to customize your own design.

DudaMobile was first launched as a white label platform in 2010; now it is a self-service website builder. They now host more than 3.2 million mobile sites, with the addition of 100,000 sites monthly!

Our favorite advantage of using Duda is that their patented auto-sync technology keeps your mobile site automatically updated, reflecting any changes made to your original website with zero maintenance necessary. How much does it cost? Only $9/mo. They also have a free offering (with limited features and banner ads).

What are your thoughts on DudaMobile? Let us know if you’ll get mobilized with Duda in the comments below or on Facebook & Twitter.