Color Labs, the team behind the commercially disappointing Color app, is trying its hand at something new. TechCrunch reports that developers will reveal a Facebook app at f8 today called Blue that will target Harvard students specifically. Here’s the email explaining Blue:
“Subject: New Harvard exclusive app launched w/ Zuckerberg
In case Harvard isn’t exclusive enough for us, a new app launched with Facebook today is available exclusively for only Harvard students to download until Friday at midnight.
The app lets Facebook friends see what you see live through your phone.
Follow this link from your phone’s browser (for iPhone and Android).”
And here’s a description of the app itself:
“Color lets friends see what you see live through your phone. The Color app lets you post to Facebook, and allow friends to virtually visit you on Facebook or with the app on their phone (available on iPhone and Android). When friends request a visit, you can host them through a live broadcast from your phone.”
How exactly Blue will broadcast “what you see” we’re uncertain, but the app certainly sounds like it corresponds with Color’s creepy location-meets-social elastic network. You can try and access the app’s URL here but you’ll immediately be asked for a username and password (you know, to keep all the non-Harvard riff-raff out).
Since there isn’t a terrible amount of specifics in the description, we’re a little confused about what letting your “friends see what you see” means. Will the app require users to access their camera and actually take photos or video and broadcast that to your select circle? That seems a little too simplistic and unnecessary. If Blue is running in the background and recording your day, that would be a little more innovative –- although weird. It’s not video chat and it’s not the location-heavy elastic network Color first created, and it’s certainly prime for all sorts of privacy questions.
Hopefully we’ll know more shortly, as we’ll be covering Facebook f8 developers conference beginning at 10 a.m. PST.
