Just kidding.
You see, Radar, the (Android) app I have developed is what I'd call a Craigslist meets Foursquare derivative. Radar is essentially a location-based classified ads app. (Craigslists and Pervs, get it? geddit?!) And really, it is as simple as that.
Have something to sell? Grab your phone, open Radar app, Give a short brief about what it is, snap a picture. The app will geotag your classified ad so that it is exposed to people near you. Yes, it is really as simple as that, try it!
A selling idea is one that a salesman can explain in a minute right? So I'd skip the nagging sales pitch that product launches are always full of and instead tell you a story. Lets call it the story of the Radar (duh).
I am sure everyone heard of the discovery of Microwave and if you haven't, a scientist was performing doing something in front of a radar dish, and the chocolate in his pocket melted, and he was perplexed. Thus Microwaves were born. But really, Radar has a similar perspective to it. Having returned from beautiful Stockholm from a year's worth of internship at Videoplaza (yay Videoplaza!), I came back to sunny Singapore, and immediately got cracking on an idea I had procrastinated on for half a year.
Have you ever been out with a bunch of friends, out somewhere, and have no idea what to do next? This is the exact problem I am trying to solve: Contextual Event Discovery.
So really, my startup would very much be rooted in Location-Based Services (LBS). Then came along the Lenovo Hackathon, and hell. I'm broke. I lost 2 (Android) phones in Europe, festivals and what nots. And I could really use with a Android tablet they were offering as a prize in aid of my development. So I decided, why not? I was already developing on the location-based backend alongside some Phonegap prototyping. A quick brainstorm (and very brief research) later, I decided that a location-based classified ads idea has not really been implemented, and the backend of the app would nicely complement my current development at my startup, so why not? I also wanted to see if I could really code for 24 hours straight, heh.
So yes, I joined, and indeed I did coded continously and furiously for 24 hours (I knew I was born a coder!). And bam, Radar was born. I had a working (and publishable) prototype at the end of the session. Sadly to say, I did not win the top prize, or the second prize. I did win a special mention though! It seemed that the judges were looking more towards what the potential app idea could do rather than what was accomplished in 24 hours. Oh well, at least I got pretty familiar with Flask (python microframework), the ReSTful interface, PhoneGap, and have a pretty rudimentary LBS library for my startup. You never really lose when you try :)
Despite not winning, which really wasn't my main objective, at least when I signed up, I had learned a great deal! I learned that Phonegap is really liimted in its potential. And if you are a startup, please do code natively! I also got to know some really talented developers, who I wished to poach for my startup, but sadly were already taken up by other startups.
So, I do hope this Radar app, would serve as an interesting side project, and in fact serve as a catalyst towards my coming venture. Also, as an eternal optimist, if the app does balloon in usage and demand spikes, who knows ;)
PS: I could deliver an iOS version if I have some form of OSX somewhere, and $99 for the license. Apple, if you hear me, help a poor student out! Yes, I am that broke. So that means when the Free tier of my EC2 runs out... Hah.
PSS: Are you a crazily passionate developer, or anyone that just wanna hear about my startup? I am contactable at radarclassifieds at gmail.
