Find And Share Local Secrets

Chris Sheldrake

Described as the the world’s first location browser flook is a new iPhone app that lets you discover and share the world around you by simply swiping through a stream of nearby ‘flook cards’.

Here’s what we liked about flook: –

  • flook is a local search and discovery tool — wherever you may be, you can open flook and see a stream of photos (they call those CARDS) that are near to you. These are typicall restaurants, art, pubs, stores etc. – i.e. the app shows you what is around you and where it is.
  • flook is not about checking in, or even following – in fact one could say it isn’t even about a social network It is about finding things to do /see/ eat/ or look at, around you in real time
  • The application essentially lets you see what is around you as you are ‘in the moment’ — so if you are shopping or having lunch, you can open up flook and see a stream of user generated content or marketing content that is geographically next to you. The app was built to search serendipitously but there are a number of new features that build on that, letting the users decide what they want to see when they are near it.
  • The stream is what is around you and you can filter that stream. Adding to the real-time factor
  • You can comment on Photos (cards) and you can collect cards (to go to later) its is really a mobile directory of things to do around you
  • Most of the users are women – 70/30 in fact – err why did you like that feature? Ed

flook was recently shortlisted for a 2010 Meffy Award in the Content Discovery and Personalization Award category and in May, the application saw 4,000 new users in one week with the growth regions from Asia 46.1%, Europe 22.9% and Middle East 20%

Like Foursquare users, flook users are fanatics (with something like 30,000 users at the moment). Remember though that is NOT about broadcasting where you are, it is about finding things and then going to do those things!

flook has content deals with the likes of Blue Tomato, British Library, Postal Heritage, Henley Arts Trail, NextStop, and REVEAL King’s Cross and a very recent deal with bView (soon to be rebranded Geocast we believe) who will supply vouchers that users can access through flook depending on where they are.

flook is part of Ambient Industries, a privately held software company based in London and San Francisco and funded by Amadeus Ventures and Eden Ventures.

To download flook on your iPhone, please visit the Apple App store or go to www.flook.it.


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