This time last year, Brett Martin took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York to launch Sonar, a mobile app that connects you to friends and other people nearby, based on your existing social networks. Fast forward to today and the Battlefield runner-up is rolling out a major update to its mobile app that will allow Sonar to finally become the “Here-Now” social network. The app previously focused on providing relevant information to users about others around them based on connections via Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and Twitter. Extremely useful for conferences like Disrupt, when you’re at a party or maybe even starting a new job. So what’s new? Aside from the usual under the hood tweaks, Sonar has crammed in Status, Sonar Presence, Notifications and Messaging. The status update serves as a hyperlocal broadcast tool for those within close proximity and even pushes out a notification to your friends when Read More

This time last year, Brett Martin took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York to launch Sonar, a mobile app that connects you to friends and other people nearby, based on your existing social networks. Fast forward to today and the Battlefield runner-up is rolling out a major update to its mobile app that will allow Sonar to finally become the “Here-Now” social network. The app previously focused on providing relevant information to users about others around them based on connections via Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and Twitter. Extremely useful for conferences like Disrupt, when you’re at a party or maybe even starting a new job. So what’s new? Aside from the usual under the hood tweaks, Sonar has crammed in Status, Sonar Presence, Notifications and Messaging. The status update serves as a hyperlocal broadcast tool for those within close proximity and even pushes out a notification to your friends when Read More

My first-ever Disrupt was a year ago, almost exactly. I had just started working for TechCrunch and Disrupt NYC 2011 was my initiation, of sorts. I had heard of Disrupt before — but witnessing the Battlefield first-hand, from the front row no less, is a totally different beast. Every uncertain moment or slip-up during a presentation left me worried, and each triumphant joke or wondrous moment made me clap as loud as the folks in the back. Looking back on that time, a handful of startups are still locked safely away in my memory, the most prominent of all being Sonar. That’s because the second I heard the concept, I knew it would be a big deal. Considering a host of new apps on the market that do similar things, like Highlight and Crowded Room, I was right. But as Disrupt NYC 2012 (tickets here) draws nigh, I couldn’t help but Read More

My first-ever Disrupt was a year ago, almost exactly. I had just started working for TechCrunch and Disrupt NYC 2011 was my initiation, of sorts. I had heard of Disrupt before — but witnessing the Battlefield first-hand, from the front row no less, is a totally different beast. Every uncertain moment or slip-up during a presentation left me worried, and each triumphant joke or wondrous moment made me clap as loud as the folks in the back. Looking back on that time, a handful of startups are still locked safely away in my memory, the most prominent of all being Sonar. That’s because the second I heard the concept, I knew it would be a big deal. Considering a host of new apps on the market that do similar things, like Highlight and Crowded Room, I was right. But as Disrupt NYC 2012 (tickets here) draws nigh, I couldn’t help but Read More

...how easy @sonar makes it to learn about and connect with people nearby. Check it out! http://t.co/zBxe4OJu... Read More

...how easy @sonar makes it to learn about and connect with people nearby. Check it out! http://t.co/FZZ5a0W8... Read More

I am calling shenanigans on this year's SXSW fad. The microclimate that is SXSW and San Francisco often creates hype for services that, ultimately, no one is going to really care about. Foursquare and Twitter did well at SXSW in their growth phases but those companies may prove to be the exception instead of the rule. The crop this year includes several "ambient social location' apps that are likely destined for obscurity when the time comes that normal users are supposed to adopt. If you have been following the hype circles, we are talking about apps like Highlight, Glancee, Banjo and Sonar. These apps show users people that are around them using the apps and what their interests are. They use location running in the background as well as tying to social profiles like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. From a mass consumer prospective, location sharing has been the most fickle area Read More

Posted 01/31/2012 at 9:39am | by Will Herring Speaking as someone who spent my formative years in a small Southern suburb, I have always been baffled by the idea of big-city dating. I’ve tried (and have subsequently been frustrated by) the dimly lit, dubstep-droning bar scene, and it feels like most career-driven twentysomethings spend more time in front of their MacBooks than they do mingling at mixers. Like many iPhone-slinging singles who have grown sick of crowded clubs, I’ve turned my attention to a handful of novel apps to help steer me toward a meaningful relationship. And while I certainly understand the hesitation that might come with waving an iOS device around like a date-demanding divining rod, I’ve come across a few urban dating apps that make meeting new people a bit less complicated. OKCupid’s Locals feature makes location-based meet-ups a breeze. Popular offering OKCupid (free) boasts an iOS app that’s Read More

...how easy @sonarme makes it to learn about and connect with people nearby. Check it out! http://t.co/ELizSqoi... Read More

...@sonarme: Make the most of your time at #Techwk. Use Sonar to see who you should meet. http://t.co/BZOLSXp #networking @techcocktail... Read More

In this continuing series here on ReadWriteWeb, we round up some of our favorite new applications for smartphones each month, specifically for iPhone and Android devices. This spring edition includes some major new launches on Android, like Netflix and Google Music, as well as some incredible technology leaps on iPhone, like the app which identifies trees by their leaves! As a bonus for this month, we've added a section with notable app updates and another featuring new tablet apps. New Apps for iPhone LeafSnap: Possibly the most ground-breaking app released in recent days, LeafSnap lets you identify trees by taking a picture of their leaves. Created by researchers at Columbia University, University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institute, the app is like something you would see on TV, roll your eyes at and scoff, "as if that exists!" Well, technology moves fast - it exists! And, according to the app's description, Read More

by The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Quick Pitch: Sonar tells you who is in the room and how you’re connected. Genius Idea: Leveraging social networks for real-world connections. Some of us are naturally gifted networkers. We walk into a room of 50 strangers and giddily begin introducing ourselves to 50 new friends. For those of us who are less outgoing, however, it helps to start with some sort of connection. However many degrees we are separated by, Sonar wants to map them out. The iPhone app [iTunes link], which launched in May, shows you who is in the room by using data from social networks. After connecting accounts, you can see who else is checked in on Foursquare or Facebook Places, as Read More