By Rebecca VanderMeulen, GalTime.com
Is your smartphone the first thing to greet you in the morning and the last thing you see at night?
“If you’re a power user of your smartphone, you should definitely use it in your dating life,” says Laurie Davis, founder of online dating consultant eFlirt Expert.Given how indispensable mobile apps are these days, it’s no surprise that there are tons of applications to help you find a dating partner and plan a rendezvous. Pretty much every dating site has its own mobile app, Davis says. Besides that, you can download apps designed just to manage your dating life. “More people are spending time on their smartphones,” author and online dating expert Julie Spira tells us. “Mobile dating apps make it more convenient to meet someone while you’re on the go and are rapidly growing in popularity.”
Our experts say there are so many to choose from, but here are some of the newest choices:
HowAboutWe
Instead of scrolling through ubiquitous profiles of singles who like baseball and long walks on the beach, why not vet them based on what they suggest doing for fun? Spira says this app does just that. Here’s how it works: Post “How about we …” and use your imagination to complete the sentence. Recent examples include, “How about we sit on a park bench and make up conversations for the people we see?” and, “How about we go see a band that neither of us has heard of?” Someone nearby post something that sounds fun? Send a message. That’s it! HowAboutWe’s iPhone app, launched in June, integrates with Foursquare — useful if you’re looking for a happy hour nearby.
Bizzy
Looking for a new place to take that guy you met online? Davis advises checking out Bizzy, a new app (in Beta) available for Android and Apple devices. Like Foursquare, you check into that new coffee shop down the street and rate it. But Bizzy takes things one step further by asking you for your favorite places — like your thoughts on the best food truck, best live music and best salon. The app recommends places you might like based on your answers to these questions, ratings of places you’ve checked out before and preferences of people who share your taste.
PinPointsX
Spira says this is the app for when you’re looking for a hookup. It shows you other members who live nearby, displaying information like their names, ages, height and weight. Of course you can also make a profile complete with a photo and brief, tantalizing bio. Find someone who looks like fun and you can send a message or give him a call. PinPointsX lets you search for men, women and couples. Plus, the app helps you find bars and hotels once you figure out who you want to meet. PinPointsX is available for Apple devices and in the Android Market.
DatingCRM
Ever meet John during happy hour at that funky dive bar, only to confuse him with Jake from the hot club you checked out last weekend? Then you may want to check out DatingCRM, an app that keeps notes on all the potential dates you meet. While a new guy thinks you’re texting, store tidbits about where you met, his favorite beer and what he does for a living. “It’s like a digital black book,” Davis says. Right now DatingCRM is only available in its private beta version since the developers are still working on the details. But this means you have a chance to give them feedback.
Got any others we should know about? Let us know your tip on managing your love life … we want to hear from you!
