igobbuble is a mobile app that takes a pretty novel approach to social networking based on the user’s location and the location of other users of the app. Essentially, it allows users to send messages to each other, whether it be video, photos, or just plain text, from their current location through things the devs call “bubbles.” Each bubble is a piece of shared information, and other users can interact with these bubbles, helping them grow, multiply, shrink, etc.

For the most part, igobubble is a decent application that takes the idea of social networking and really does something unique with it. However, for me as a reviewer using this app in a suburb, there’s not a lot to do with the app, where there were not very many bubbles near me and thus, not very many igobubble users around me. However, this may improve in the more busy urban areas of the world, such as New York City or London.

Ratings (Out of 5):

Interface: 4.5

Functionality: 4.0

Social Networking: 3.5

Reuse Value: 4.0

Overall Rating: 4.0/5

igobubble

Developer: igobubble limited
Price: free

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Interface:

The interface for igobbuble is both simple and intuitive. The main screen shows all the bubbles that are close to your current location, which bounce around the screen sporting thumbnails of the content that they contain. Tapping on a bubble will give you more detailed information about it, as well as allow you to pump or deflate it, and view its journal throughout the world. Additionally, you yourself have a bag of bubbles, which holds the bubbles that you have captured (basically, the one’s that you’re interested in.) Creating a bubble is fun and easy, and tracking the journey of a bubble really seems like a lot of fun. There is also a “friend” system im place where you can follow other people and their bubbles.

Overall, I was satisfied with igobbuble’s interface, and it’s pretty self-explanatory in the way the app functions. The design of the app was also decent, giving off a relaxed feel with a light sky-blue gradient background.

Functionality:

igobbuble claims to change the way that people will share location-based information with each other. For the most part, the app’s functionality supports its claim. Although not a feature-packed social networking app, it gets the job done with simple ways of viewing and managing bubbles. For the most part, the functionality of igobbuble lies in tapping into a bubble and checking out the things you can do with it. Two of the main functions of igobubble are to “pump” and “deflate” bubbles, with pumping adding “air points” and deflating decreasing air points. Another major function (and one that I feel is really fun) is the ability to dig into the “journey” of a bubble, and see how it has developed.

Social Networking:

Being a social app, igobubble needs users. Living in a suburban area, the first thing I noticed when I launched the app was that there were not that many bubbles close to my current location (only 4 of them). Without active and engaging people to share content with, the purpose of igobubble is essentially defeated. I’m not exactly sure how many users igobubble has, but I’m confident that the “bubble density” will be greater in more heavily populated areas, and maybe then the app will be more fun to use.

However, with no one else to share with and few bubbles around, there’s just not much to do. Unfortunately, the lack of users drops the ratings a bit. and social networking comes out at 3.5/5.

Reuse Value:

This, like social networking, is all dependent on the number of people actively using igobubble. I really don’t have any issues with the app’s functionality or interface, so it all comes down to “am I having fun using this app to connect with others.” Like I mentioned previously, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of activity in my suburban city, but hopefully people in the big cities will find this a greater pleasure to use.

Summing It Up:

igobbuble really seems like it could be a fun app. And it probably is for people who actually have other people to share stuff with. But because it’s completely based on the location of users, people in suburban, and especially rural areas, won’t be using this app very much, just because there aren’t other people to connect with.

However, igobubble does have a very novel and original idea, and there is a lot of potential for it. If it can really take off as “the next big thing” that everyone is using, then perhaps everyone would enjoy it a little bit more.

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