Price: Free Score: 8/10 Category: Applications
Ever want to take bits and pieces from all your favorite social networking apps and put them together in one place? Love the local feel of apps like ‘Four Square’, but crave the messaging functionality and integrated applications that you can find on FaceBook? What about event information and tracking? The ‘BuzzE’ social networking app offers a solution that pulls some of the coolest features from other popular iOS applications.
Creating a ‘BuzzE’ account was free and easy while conducting my tour; a few simple taps and I was in. Once you’re signed in you can connect with existing contacts in the “Friends” tab, or take a walk on the social side and browse nearby users. That’s right, log in to ‘BuzzE’ on your iPhone at a local watering hole and connect with other people nearby. The distance between you displays right next to their username. Invite them to play fun games and see who wins or send them a gift to break the ice.
Frendz LLC’s application is all about connectivity. You can send pictures from your phone or take one to share with your new friend. If you think you’re interested in hanging out, on ‘BuzzE’ or in person, press the “Buzz” button to see if they’re around, or “Like” them. Don’t worry, unless they like you back, they’ll never know!
All of these interaction options exist in ‘BuzzE’ on top of the chat function, where you can carry on more than one conversation at a time with ease. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed with the inventive ways to connect on ‘BuzzE’, they just need more uses to make this app spectacular.
One of my favorite features on ‘BuzzE’ was the option to search for, save and subscribe to local events. I even found a new local farmer’s market the first time I used the app. This section will surely flesh out as this new app gains more heat, which I sincerely hope it does. The other local feature I love is the “Hot Spot” tab where you can identify the places that are hopping in your hood on an interactive map.
‘BuzzE’ is easy to navigate and sports a multitude of features. The menu options at the bottom of the app were clearly labeled and made getting around a breeze. The “People” tab connects you to other users that recently logged in on ‘BuzzE’, your ‘BuzzE’ friends and a place you can manage a block list for optimal privacy. Browse local events in the “Events” tab. “Alerts” will notify you if you’ve received a Buzz, chat or gift, and changing settings or searching for local “Hot Spots” are just a touch away.
I’m a big fan of free, and ‘BuzzE’ is a whole lot of app for nothing. That’s pretty hard to beat.