[timmyc]

Hey everyone!

Some of you guys know this, but I recently decided to undergo a career change to join a startup in Taiwan and we’re launching our first app today. It’s an app designed to make your life easier when meeting up with your friends. We’ve been working really hard on it, and it would mean a lot to me if you guys could check it out!!

www.jinkapp.com
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id789646743
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...houseapps.jink

Here's the press release:

Hello Everyone!

Jink is a brand new location-sharing app which makes it exceptionally easy to meet up with people you know. With just a few taps, you can send a Jink to anyone in your phone book and, once they accept, see each other move in real-time.

Jink is useful when you:
· Meet a friend for dinner, coffee, drinks, etc.
· Find your friends when you get out of class
· Commute home (and avoid texting while driving!)
· Pick up your kid from school or relatives at the airport
· Meet anyone, anywhere

Jink features include:
· Simple controls: no sign-up required; start a Jink in just a couple taps
· Privacy: share only with people you choose while you're on the go
· Live sharing: icons move in real-time so you can meet with ease
· Temporary events: location sharing ends automatically when you meet up
· Groups: meet up with multiple people simultaneously



Check us out at http://www.jinkapp.com or download here:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id789646743
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...houseapps.jink

[hongsc]

Nice. Apple should buy you guys out and integrate it into iOS. Downloading now.

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by hongsc

Nice. Apple should buy you guys out and integrate it into iOS. Downloading now.

Thanks for the kind words! I definitely miss my car, but Apple buying us out would be totally worth it

[Billup]

Pretty neat idea. Wish I had friends so I could utilize it. Unfortunately I don't really care where my SO is most of the time, so it would end up me following myself around. LOL

Cool stuff though, I could see this blowing up for kids around college campus and stuff.


Question; About how long was the whole process of making it? Did it take a large group of people to arrive at the final product or was it a small team?

[ddk632]

I can use this to track my minions. Sweet.

[bimmerfrk]

Uh this is like Waze... Good job bro but millions of people already use Waze. I feel like you are the Google plus equivalent to Facebook.

[P1]

This is like the "Find iPhone" app, but for people as opposed to Apple devices. Question: I really want someone to invent a small GPS tracker that I can embed into thing like my expensive bikes. So as opposed to tracking other users in your app, I want to put a GPS tracker in the seat post of my bike so that I can see where it is at all times. Let me know when that's finished so I can buy it.

You could actually do the same with your car. Not only if it's stolen, but also to track where your kid is driving to and leaving the car, or when you park it at a busy shopping centre and you forgot where you parked it etc.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by P1et

This is like the "Find iPhone" app, but for people as opposed to Apple devices. Question: I really want someone to invent a small GPS tracker that I can embed into thing like my expensive bikes. So as opposed to tracking other users in your app, I want to put a GPS tracker in the seat post of my bike so that I can see where it is at all times. Let me know when that's finished so I can buy it.

You could actually do the same with your car. Not only if it's stolen, but also to track where your kid is driving to and leaving the car, or when you park it at a busy shopping centre and you forgot where you parked it etc.

Some that is/was being developed for motorcycles and quite a few of the manufacturers did not want to integrate for privacy concerns. Lots of logistics apps, enterprise applications not personal stuff like this, do this to track trucks, speed, time etc.. Many 3rd party logistic service clients I've had use this to backup the driver logs and also catch cheaters.

To OP nice hope it becoimes profitable for you guys.

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by hongsc

Nice. Apple should buy you guys out and integrate it into iOS. Downloading now.

Apple already has this feature it is call Find Friend and it works great it shows you where your friend are and let them see your location as well.

IF that is not good enough for you Waze has a location sharing feature which you can send people your location and then they can use it to navigate to you, also you can send people your location and it will provide them ETA and your currently location as you travel to them or the place you are heading to. It now has a feature which will tell you how many of your friend are online using Waze and where they are heading too.

If you cheating on your significant other remember to disable these features since you could come home to an empty house.

[Inspired]

Did you create that app by yourself? Pretty neat. I like it.

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by Billup

Pretty neat idea. Wish I had friends so I could utilize it. Unfortunately I don't really care where my SO is most of the time, so it would end up me following myself around. LOL

Cool stuff though, I could see this blowing up for kids around college campus and stuff.


Question; About how long was the whole process of making it? Did it take a large group of people to arrive at the final product or was it a small team?

The whole process took about 8 months with a team that has now grown to 19 people to arrive at version 1.0.1. There are a lot of ideas that haven't been implemented yet due to time, but those will come in at v1.1. We do have very big plans to improve the app with a few more features, but not at the expense of user experience. Thanks for checking it out!

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by ddk632

I can use this to track my minions. Sweet.

We do have a 12 hour expire timer on here for privacy! This app is designed more for meeting up with your friends on a Friday night, or new areas where you're not as familiar with the surroundings. You'll be less likely to get lost when you see them on a map!

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by Maestro

Apple already has this feature it is call Find Friend and it works great it shows you where your friend are and let them see your location as well.

IF that is not good enough for you Waze has a location sharing feature which you can send people your location and then they can use it to navigate to you, also you can send people your location and it will provide them ETA and your currently location as you travel to them or the place you are heading to. It now has a feature which will tell you how many of your friend are online using Waze and where they are heading too.

If you cheating on your significant other remember to disable these features since you could come home to an empty house.

I do have the app Find my Friends, and have been using it for a few years actually. It's a great app, but it isn't cross-platform with Android, doesn't have messaging, requires your friends email account to sign up, and is more family focused, not for friends who might care about privacy. The apps are very similar, but the usage for our app differs quite a bit from Find my Friends.

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by Bobble

Some that is/was being developed for motorcycles and quite a few of the manufacturers did not want to integrate for privacy concerns. Lots of logistics apps, enterprise applications not personal stuff like this, do this to track trucks, speed, time etc.. Many 3rd party logistic service clients I've had use this to backup the driver logs and also catch cheaters.

To OP nice hope it becoimes profitable for you guys.

There definitely are privacy concerns, which is one of our top concerns; exactly why we have Jinks end automatically when you meet or hit the 12 hour timer. Thanks for taking a look!!

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by Inspired

Did you create that app by yourself? Pretty neat. I like it.

This was a result of 8 months of hard work from a team that now consists of 19 people. The app does seem simple, but a lot of work was put into having iPhone and Android availability and compatibility, as well as the availability of the app in 5 different languages. A LOT of work was done on auto-meet algorithms, since Android and iPhone hardware is completely different. Our #1 goal was user experience and limiting the amount of interaction necessary with the app, to keep it easy and simple to pick up right away and start using. Thanks for checking it out!!!

[BayMoWe335]

What makes your app,different from the others that do basically the same thing?

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

What makes your app,different from the others that do basically the same thing?

Originally Posted by bimmerfrk

Uh this is like Waze... Good job bro but millions of people already use Waze. I feel like you are the Google plus equivalent to Facebook.

So our big hypotheses with Jink are that:

- Real-time location sharing is most valuable and fun when two or more people are actively meeting up in real life

- A mobile app created to serve this need must achieve (1) exceptional simplicity, (2) privacy, and (3) temporariness in order to displace the traditional behavior of calling or texting one another while getting together.

Regarding Jink <> other apps, then:

- Two-way, real-time location sharing: when you create a Jink with someone and that user accepts, both parties will see each other moving on the map. With other apps, location sharing is usually one-way by default (i.e., you can create two(+)-way sharing, but it takes a separate invite).

- Jink has photo icons and in-app messaging on the map, which we've found to be both useful and fun.

- Most apps share one's location for a set period of time chosen by the user. Jink detects when two users have met and turns off location sharing automatically. It also pauses and expires automatically if you haven't met.

Above all, we've endeavored to create a simpler and more fun experience. We hope our biggest competition becomes texting/calling to meet up with others rather than using an app like Jink.

That's the pitch, at least Hope you dig it!

[KwlAznKid]

so you finally did it huh?! congrats on the move man! will definitely support your apps! best of luck

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

so you finally did it huh?! congrats on the move man! will definitely support your apps! best of luck

Yup! Didn't work the thing out with my company, but have not looked back at all. Thanks for the support! Couple pics of the place I got in Taipei

[KwlAznKid]

place is sick man! I've been really itching to visit again, I haven't gone in over 15 years.. how's the transition? lifestyle is so different lol but I hear Taiwanese girls dig American guys

[KwlAznKid]

just downloaded your app, cool idea, are you guys planning on adding a feature to find friends/users who already have the app? (like twitter runs through your phone book and shows you which of your current friends have the app already so you can add them as a friend)

[timmyc]

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

just downloaded your app, cool idea, are you guys planning on adding a feature to find friends/users who already have the app? (like twitter runs through your phone book and shows you which of your current friends have the app already so you can add them as a friend)

This seems like a pretty good idea, we will have to take a look on how to implement it, thanks!

Originally Posted by KwlAznKid

lifestyle is so different lol but I hear Taiwanese girls dig American guys

Can't give you the details on e90post lol