NearVerse

Now having an iPhone is like having a free ticket to shared media, thanks to LoKast. This app from NearVerse enables iPhone users to share anything from photos to videos to music. What surprised me is that it’s pretty easy to set up; I somehow expected it to be more complicated than the few steps it took. It works with 3G, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, so we don’t need any extra enhancements to use it. The only hitch is that it works only among LoKast users within proximity of 300 feet to each other. The tutorial did a good job of helping me find my way around. We need to first customize our own profile with a name and picture, and we are set to go. We can then add content from our phone, and it is totally up to our discretion which stuff we would like to keep open for sharing, and which ones we want to keep private. We can do all these right from the profile page itself with a few clicks. Once we are done with our profile set up and are ready to share, we can check out the profile of any other LoKast user in proximity and download media from their profile. We can preview songs and then follow the iTunes link to purchase them. One cool feature is that they have tied up with some bands to help get their music across to people, so we get an exclusive first look at these bands. There are also more than 50 featured free songs available as content to download, plus exclusive movie trailers to preview. We can’t get enough of the word ‘exclusive’, can we? It all sounds so fabulous that it can’t possibly come for free, but it does, so I say grab it while it is. And discover a whole new world of media sharing on the iPhone. Read More

Here's an idea for you: instead of slowly amassing followers, like on Twitter, or carefully culling your friends list over time on Facebook, making sure everyone is in their appropriate list and category, collect and dispose of friends like you ask for the time or a spare cigarette on a busy city street. That's what Lokast, the self-described "disposable" social network lets you do - carry your throw-away lifestyle over into the digital world. The LoKast iPhone app was released earlier this week at the South By South West festival in Austin and is the perfect app for finding yourself among throbbing masses of the technologically inclined. But what is this disposable thing? From the email we received this week on the app's release: According to the press release, the name is short for "local casting", as opposed to broadcasting, and "aims to eliminate the need for physical media sharing, thereby eradicating physical CDs, plastic cases, video DVDs or waiting to get back to a PC computer to share and experience content." We have to agree that SXSW seems like the perfect venue for this type of app and we'd say why not give it a shot? We haven't made it all the way downtown yet to be close enough to give it a full whirl, but it looks more than capable from toying with it. Now, the thing is, we can't see a lot of people using this outside of big, hi-tech cities or conferences. Where does this fit into our day to day life? Are we really going to run around town staring at my screen trying to see if someone else with the same app is nearby? We don't think so. For now, though, we'd say give it an install and run around collecting some demos and see what people are listening to. Read More

It’s probably an oversimplification to say that social networks have become a way of life. Sharing ideas and personal content has never been easier and the trend will continue to explode as mobile applications make this sharing even more seamless. A new app introduced today at SXSW from developer NearVerse promises to deliver on the experience with its amazingly rich media sharing app Lokast. Lokast works on the simple premise of creating micro social sharing networks. Users with the app can share personal media like movies, photos and music when in the vicinity of other users. All media shared is personally chosen and can be easily downloaded to others without the need to pair bluetooth, connect cables or create the connection. The app also allows for shared browsing as well enabling other users to view your screen as you surf the internet. It’s all done within the app and it’s done rather well. Open up the free app and you’ll see the icons at the top representing users nearby that you can instantly connect with. Tapping on one will bring up their shared content and from there, you have immediate access to view and even download the media to your Lokast account. Once you’ve added that media, you can then share it with others resulting in a very simple way to virally connect content. Music clips are limited to 30 second previews but the app will provide links so you can download the track from iTunes. NearVerse has also made deals with featured users like indie bands to provide full downloadable tracks to promote up and coming musicians. The developers mention many simple use cases where this social sharing could work very well. Your choice in music and movies can quickly reflect your personality so meeting new people at parties and making a connection couldn’t be any easier. Promoters and bands at concert venues would also be able to distribute music to thousands of fans instantly using Lokast. As with any social media, success can only be measured in the amount of users willing to participate and begin the sharing. Fortunately, the app is available with no costs. Read More

...which is actually short for “local-casting,” allows you to set up a profile that will list all of your photos, selected contacts, videos, web links and music on your mobile phone. You can select which content you’d like to include to the public and which content you’d like to keep private. When a LoKast user is in proximity (300 feet) of other LoKast users, the app will automaticall... Read More