hellotel
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Sketchy crowdfunded privacy router gets a new corporate master (update)
Remember Anonabox, the internet privacy router that was outed as a rebranded Chinese device and booted off of Kickstarter for fraud before it headed to Indiegogo? Well, it's getting another lease on life. Sochule, which is best known for its social hotel app HelloTel, tells us that it has snapped up the Anonabox team. The new parent company won't say much about what's happening next until a South by Southwest event on Friday. However, it's stressing that Anonabox founder August Germar is maintaining a similar role -- it apparently doesn't mind the controversies surrounding Germar and his networking gadget.
Check out HelloTel when you check in to your hotel
HelloTel is a brand new social networking app. This app allows users to "check-in" to a hotel much like a user would check-in on location based apps like Foursquare. The user is then also able to see nearby users who have checked into their hotel as well as nearby hotels. It requires iOS 6.0 or later and is compatible with iPod touch, iPad, and optimized for iPhone 5. Once a user has checked-in, they can message others and give them "kudos", which I guess is just a positive quick way to say you like their profile. I think I might be one of the very few female users currently on this app because I instantly was swamped with messages and kudos. Users can also add you to their favorites list. HelloTel is a very easy platform for meeting people if you are from out of town and traveling alone. You might want to have a quick drink to pass the time the night before an important business function or other purposeful visit. There is also an option for a user to indicate that they are on the app for business. Truthfully I don't see people using this app for business because the design has more of a dating app feel and the content that people can put in their profile is all personal. The social aspect of the app is quite appealing though. The interface design is reminiscent of Tinder, without the option to swipe left or right on a user. I like the basic white/teal color palate. The hotel themed icons - such as the bellhop - are really cute. It's easy to navigate from tab to tab and to message other users. Users have the option to add photos of their stay and to post a status about the hotel. Setting up my profile only took a minute and finding other nearby users to message was simple and straight forward. I will probably use HelloTel next time I am traveling alone and looking to socialize with other hotel visitors. Sometimes it's fun to meet a new person to have a drink at the hotel bar and check out an indoor pool with, and it's probably much safer to do this with a person who is staying in the same place you are, versus a random person from a bar or another dating app. I recommend HelloTel for people who travel often and are looking for a social media app that can allow them to meet people where they are instead of staying in their hotel room all alone. Chances are, getting out and meeting people will be much more fun than any of the premium movies you can order from your hotel room TV.
