I have to admit I’d never heard of Brightkite until the application hit the store yesterday (is that bad, should I have known what it was? :/). I’m sure this was one of the intentions of the developers, to get the word out, so I’m not too worried, I’ll just pretend to be one of those new guys – you know the ones … I’ve gathered it’s a fairly popular social networking client which aims to use location API’s to let everyone know where you are, and if you choose, what your doing …
I was accepted into the beta phase and received my invite from them late last night.
Hit up the jump for our full look …
“Brightkite is a location-based social network. In real time you can see where your friends are and what they’re up to. Depending on your privacy settings you can also meet others nearby.”
Brightkite for iPhone which debuted on the App Store yesterday, is pretty slick I have to say. It’s like having the full Brightkite site (brightkite.com) in your pocket, native, and as far as I can tell, they’ve thought of every aspect and implemented it.
Creating an Account
Currently, Brightkite [App Store] as a service is still in it’s ‘Beta’ stages, and consequentially you must apply to receive an invite from the guys who run it. To do this:
1. Visit Brightkite.com.
2. Hit ‘Get an Invite’.
3. Enter your e-mail and hit ‘Next’.
Brightkite state you should receive an invite from them within 24 hours, however there is a possibility it could take longer. After saying this, they seem to be pushing through invites quicker than usual due to the launch of the App Store app.
Brightkite on the Move
When you start up Brightkite.app for the first time, you’ll be asked to login with the details you just registered under. The application features 5 tabs across the bottom; I am, Friends, Nearby, Messages, and More. Each of these tabs offer up different settings and options which we’re going to have a look at individually below.
Firstly I have to state this application is required to know your location the first time you use it, but this can then be turned off via the ‘Find Me’ option you can see above.
I am …
This section shows the location you are currently ‘Checked In’ at and three other options; Check In Again, Post a Note and Post a Photo – Self-explanatory stuff I think you’ll agree. In the top right of the app you’ll find your privacy option. When green, all of what BK call the ‘Universe’ can see your exact location, to the precise accuracy it first found you at when you checked in. When red, you immediately disable the ‘Universe’ to access your current location. When under red, only your friends and networks can view your location and posts – rather like Facebook. To change this setting, simply tap.
Friends
Again, fairly self explanatory, accessing this tab shows current activity on BK from your friends (similar to Twitter). Tapping the sub tab ‘People’ at the top will give you a complete list of all your friends regardless of their check in status.
Nearby
*Gasp* – Yep you guessed it, this tab shows recent activity and people near you, in relation to your location. There are several options for distance which you can set, and these include; Close (20 meters), Block (200 meters), Neighborhood (2000 meters) and Area (4000 meters).
Messages
Being the social network that BK is, people can send you direct messages. Use this tab to view all the messages directed at you personally. To direct a message at someone on BK is the same as you do on Twitter. Use the ‘@’ symbol followed by the username your targeting the message at (i.e @razorianfly).
More …
- Universe
This view allows you to see the BK world outside your friend circle. Every message, photo or note posted to Brightkite will display in this section.
- Placemarks
Somewhere interesting? – Tell everyone. Placemark it. Within BK there are ‘place pages’. Use these pages to placemark a place for future reference.
- Search
Places, People or Posts. Find what you want, when you want it.
- Requests
Friendship Requests. Accept them, Decline them.
Photos and Notes
What would a social network be without the ability to post content? – In this case your can either post a note, or a photo. Photos can be chosen from existing one’s in your photo library, or you can take one there and then with iPhone’s built in camera. Notes are pretty much self explanatory and can include links, although these have to be typed out manually due to the current (dare I say it) lack of copy and paste.
Settings
There are also a bunch of settings that help you configure the behavior of Brightkite.
- Place Snapping
If for whatever reason Brightkite can’t locate you, it will use GPS to place snap. Basically, it will hazard a guess of your current location, based on previous locations you have checked in at.
- Activity Stream
Choose whether your activity stream on the ‘Friends’ tab includes; Check in notifications, photo posts or notes
- Photo Management
This setting allows you to choose the maximum resolution of photos you upload to Brightkite from 200×150, 640×480, 800×600 or 1600×1200. There’s also the option to have Brightkite save all uploads into your photo library for later transfer to Mac/PC.
UI / Visuals
Just like Facebook and other leading social networking apps, Brightkite mobile is easily navigable, and you can get done what you want to get done quickly and efficiently. The app is very visual in the way it differentiates options and settings being active or non-active and the use of iPhone’s built in API’s to enhance the already great UI makes this an application not to sniff at.
Overall, you could say Brightkite is just another Twitter or Facebook. Some people have noticed a lot of people are using Twinkle (including us), and say that Tapulous’ Twinkle client may have in fact taken over the need for Brightkite. I’m not going to agree or disagree, only simply say that BK is a well executed application with strong visuals and security options to boot.
Taking everything into consideration,
I’m going to give Brightkite for iPhone an 8.5/10
Do you use Brightkite on the iPhone or iPod touch?
Let me know in the comments!
Grab it Here: [Brightkite] (Free)
You can follow me on Brightkite mobile yourself, if you like.
Just send a friend request to User: razorianfly
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