Swinging, hi-tech singles are using Bluetooth phones to flirt with strangers only 10 metres away
A lonely Lothario walks into a pub in Lan Kwai Fong. The place is packed, but instead of scanning the room for prospective partners, our man on the prowl orders a drink from the bar.
His phone scouts the room for him, searching for ideal matches within a 10-metre range. When one is found, he strikes up an instant-messaging conversation using his phone's Bluetooth connection, swapping jokes and photos. Before long, the hi-tech flirts have met and are sharing a drink together. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Sound far-fetched? Well, it's not. In Singapore more than 2,500 phone users have downloaded a program developed by Bedd to their handsets. The software, designed by Swedish engineers, uses Bluetooth to connect with others, continuously hunting for phones with the Bedd program - and beyond that a user's ideal match in a friend or partner.
Bedd executives believe their software could dramatically change the way humans interact. Take your handset into a crowded place - a train or shopping mall - and everyday random encounters become a chance to make a meaningful connection with someone who would otherwise remain a stranger. Looking for a handsome 40-something male or an attractive professional female? No problem. The handset will do the search for you.
'Why not let our phones do this for us automatically?' said Bedd chairman and chief executive Stephen Carlton. 'It's leading to an expansion of our social networks and allowing us to meet and interact with people in a new way.'