Highlight Is Like the 'ChatRoulette' of iOS Apps

10.03.2012
One of the apps that is getting a lot of attention in Austin at this year's South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference is Highlight. The social app automatically notifies you when other Highlight users you may have something in common with are nearby. The concept is either sort of cool, or a bit creepy and stalkerish.

You may not have even heard of Highlight yet. The app has only been around a month or two, but it has exploded on the geek scene. I heard about it from the usual suspects like , and added it to my iPhone. I didn't really understand it still, but I feel like I have some sort of obligation to be on the bleeding edge of the next wave so I can inform others about it.

Highlight integrates with your Facebook social network, and taps into the location-based features of the iPhone. Essentially, if there is anyone else nearby who uses Highlight who is in any way connected to you--either a friend, or , or someone who has something in common with you such as you both "Like" the --Highlight alerts you and gives you an opportunity to connect in real life.

I live in the Houston area, which-- and myself notwithstanding--is not exactly a bastion of tech geeks. Needless to say, adding Highlight to my iPhone here in the Houston area was fairly anti-climactic. Nothing happened because nobody else I'm even remotely connected to socially lives anywhere near me, and even those who do haven't jumped on the Highlight bandwagon.

When I traveled to San Francisco for the RSA Security Conference a few weeks ago, though, suddenly Highlight sprang to life and started letting me know that other Highlight users I might know were nearby--and presumably also notified them of my presence. Apparently, Highlight use is also pretty strong among the geeks and nerds attending SXSW.

The problem is--I don't really know any of the people Highlight alerted me about. They are all "friends of friends" in Facebook. I received 17 Highlight notifications. They ranged from having one friend in common to one who has four Facebook friends in common with me, but I wasn't familiar with any of them.