Start-Ups Unveil Map, Dating Apps at DEMO

Start-up Scientific Media introduced Dotgo, an information service that acknowledges the fact that most of us rely on simple cell phones and text messaging, rather than smartphones with Web browsers.

"Dotgo is the Internet for text messaging," said Stefan Gromoll, co-founder of Scientific Media, during his presentation. To retrieve information using Dotgo, users send a text message with the appropriate Internet domain name to the short-code phone number "DOTCOM" (the digits 368266 on a standard phone keypad). Dotgo responds with one or more text messages providing the requested information. It's similar to Google's texting service. For example, to get a forecast from the Weather Channel's Web site, weather.com, users would text "weather" and a zip code to the phone number for DOTCOM.

Of course, along with the sensible start-ups, some of the application debuts were a little silly. VicMan Software introduced an app that adds special effects to a Facebook user's profile pictures several times a day.

Others were a little scary. Intelius, which specializes in background searches, took the stage at DEMO to announce "Date Check," an application that lets users perform background checks on potential romantic partners from their mobile phones, using only the target's name or cell phone number.

Date Check includes a tool called the "sleaze detector" that allows users to plug in their prospective sweetie pie's name to find out whether anyone with that name has been charged with a felony. (Woe to the poor schlub who happens to be named Ted Bundy.) There's also a net worth function that provides information about home ownership and other assets. Isn't it romantic?

-- Reported by Carmen Nobel in Boston.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints