Cody Brown 140 +: 'Color' is Primal and Kind of Brilliant

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Cody Brown 140 +: 'Color' is Primal and Kind of Brilliant

I really wanted to hate Color. I really did. A pre-launch startup raising 41 million dollars for a consumer web iPhone picture app (not a satellite manufacturer) makes me want to vomit. But after a night of using Color—I’m intrigued. In the context of them raising 41 million dollars, Color is one…

As the extreme and chronic oversharer in my group of friends it often surprises me that apps that are based on sharing mundane and/or semi-private information to the world succeed so wildly (Foursquare, Twitter, etc.). Color, a new iPhone/Android photosharing app, shares the photos you take when using it with anyone in a 100-ft vicinity. Strangers included. You can also click on your own social connections (friends who are on the app) to check into what’s going on around them.

It sounds borderline creepy but also pushes the boundaries of awesome. Social networking based on proximity is something that hasn’t really been explored — sure, I’ve seen a cute guy check in to my local bagel shop on Foursquare and then silently stalked his profile pic, but that’s not enough for me to actually initiate contact without coming off as a real creeper. Let’s ignore for a moment that the fact that already makes me sound like a real creeper…

Color is still toeing a fine line but — as Cody demonstrates — it has the potential to make that stranger-to-stranger connection slightly more seamless. (Though I suppose we ought to take into account that Cody and neighbor are both clearly early adopters who are therefore more receptive to the jarring idea that is in-your-vicinity-voyeurship.)

I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with Color, though. I’m a photograph-everything, post-everything kind of girl. :) Looking forward to trying it when it’s released for Android tonight!