This week's selection of startups have created mobile applications for iPhone and Android that offer a twist on the expected.
EyeEm is a mobile photo-sharing application unique in its ability to surface similar photos in real time. Life Is Crime mixes up mobile gaming with location-based gameplay, and Liquid Fare, perfectly suited for barhoppers, offers an updated interpretation of the mobile reviewing app.
EyeEm: Photo Capture for Photo Discovery
Quick Pitch: EyeEm is a photo capture, sharing and discovery app that learns your tastes from the pictures you take.
Genius Idea: Photo vibes.
Mashable's Take: Berlin-based EyeEm puts a fresh twist on mobile photo-sharing with an app for iPhone and Android that emphasizes discovery.
Yes, the app does include filters, likes, comments and social sharing -- staples in nearly every mobile photo application these days -- but we think you'll like it for its more refined qualities.
Filters, for instance, are applied in your camera's view pane, even before you snap a photo. Photos are automatically arranged into photo albums called vibes, categorizing photos by either place, people or content. Plus, the app auto-tags your photos with location and activity descriptions, making manual entry completely optional.
Life Is Crime: Mobile MMO Set in the Real World
Quick Pitch: Life Is Crime by Red Robot Labs is a location-based MMO mobile game where players commit virtual crimes in real places.
Genius Idea: Combining social and hardcore gaming elements with location-based action.
Mashable's Take: Developed by former executives at Playdom and EA, Life Is Crime tasks mobile users on Android (and soon iOS) to commit virtual crimes, perform missions, challenge other players to take over real-world locations and become criminal masterminds.
The game takes the high-octane elements of complex, narrative-based video games for consoles and PCs, throws in social gaming standbys like virtual goods and gameplay with friends, and uniquely places all of the action in your surrounding neighborhood.
Liquid Fare: A Mobile Wingman
Quick Pitch: Liquid Fare provides an easy way to find local bars, lounges and clubs organized by age, style and attractiveness of the crowd.
Genius Idea: Mobile users crowdsource their way to a better night out on the town.
Mashable's Take: Liquid Fare for iPhone and Android promises to be the compass that points you towards the hippest hotspots nearby, depending on your personal preferences in crowd style, age and attractiveness.
The application crowdsources its establishment assessments, encouraging users to rate the scene at venues they visit.
Liquid Fare, from the New York-based startup of the same name, was first piloted in New York and San Francisco. The application rolled out for all audiences in the U.S. in August.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Roger's Wife
Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark
