SocialRadar is arguably the most anticipated launch to come out of the D.C. tech scene in a while. Founded by Michael Chasen, who also founded Blackboard, the app builds on the premise that everybody is providing more information about themselves with smartphones, both through social media and GPS signaling. Combining the two, SocialRadar gives you updates about the people around you in real time, something that no one has been able to do successfully, yet. Your gut reaction might be to qualify it as creepy and an app for stalkers, but with options for privacy, those notions should be dispelled. And more than anything, it puts the real-life aspect back into social networking. As Chasen explained to D.C.'s NBC 4, it maximizes your network-ability so that when you're in close proximity to someone you know, you don't miss out on running into them.
For now, an official launch date is still up in the air, but January looks likely. According to Chasen, they're currently testing the app in private, with hopes to open it up to a wait list of beta testers soon. Next week, they're hosting an open house at the SocialRadar headquarters in downtown D.C., and we're hoping to hear more from Chasen and his crew then.
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