Skip to main content

Is audio the final social frontier? Eevzdrop thinks so

eevzdropWhile hardware stole the show at SXSW this year, there was still plenty of buzz from new apps that managed to corner significant attention – including upcoming launch Eevzdrop (as in, “eavesdrop”). The app has – willingly or not – already become known as the “Instagram for sound” during the last few, hazy days of SXSW Interactive Week.

Not without reason, either. Eevzdrop, which has yet to launch, but is currently enjoyed by some odd 20 beta testers, allows you to record up to 10 minutes of audio and share it out in a variety of ways (email, to the stream, or even upload directly to your site or blog). You can also pair it with a photo, creating a multi-dimensional digital experience. Geotagging is also available.

“We want to keep things super simple at first,” says cofounder Rommel Paraiso. “Originally we were working on a fashion app, but then we were messing around with doing sports commentating – we’d record on our laptops and then add commentary. We thought it’d be cool if our friends could hear us instead of the TV announcers. And it went from that to, wondering what people would do with this type of app – would they talk or would they listen?”

featured eevzdropParaiso, who has a background in sports (he’s a producer for the Chicago Bears), took the commentator view of creating the app. Co-founder Chachi Sabate, who’s worked in the music industry and with music bloggers, saw it as an opportuntity for writers to get quick bits up and running fast and easy.

The team knew that SXSW would be the place to create buzz.

“SXSW is the first thing we thought of,” says Paraiso. “With music and interactive, it was the right space.” Even so, the team originally planned a soft App Store launch followed by PR build up. But the press had other ideas, and when Eevzdrop became an “app to watch for at SXSW,” the team decided to roll with the punches and bring whatever they could the show (which, for the record, is mostly merch, hands-on demos, and good will).

The lack of a launch isn’t due to any problems with preparation. “We could release the app now,” says Sabate. “It’s been approved by the App Store. but we want to make sure all of the features are quality, and make sure the functionality of the app is perfect.”

So far, so good? In our brief moments getting a look at Eevzdrop, everything worked as promised. It’s quick and easy to record and upload audio, picture-taking worked seamlessly, and the social feed loaded fast, even under the strain that is using public Wi-Fi at SXSW.

profile eevzdropDespite the early hype and promising first look, the “Instagram for [insert anything here]” market is in danger of being played out. So how will Eevzdrop avoid becoming just another social app in a very flooded App Store? One thing the team has on its side is that Eevzdrop isn’t just a social feed; there is a very real utility to the app. If you’ve ever limited yourself to the native Voice Memo iPhone app, you know that organizing your sound bytes is a pain and retrieving that content can take forever if you’re trying to email it out and it’s longer than three or four minutes.

Really, Eevzdrop is simply pinpointing a type of media we can create, audio, plus a quick visual (if you want) – and scaling the back end so that this is done well. “Compressing audio down was some work,” says Paraiso. “But it’s not as bad as video.”

Really, sound is sort of the final social frontier: We have more photos apps than we know what to do with and video sharing apps are cluttered, but audio has yet to be explored. And while sound feels like a very personal approach to social media, take a look at the current app explosion: Extremely personal apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp have been raising stars of the sharing and social scene.

At the moment, the team plans to enjoy the SXSW hype hangover, and isn’t currently raising. Eevzdrop should hit the App Store soon, and in the meantime its team will prepare for launch and work out the final kinks.

Molly McHugh
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
Best OnePlus 11 deals: Save $100 on the Android phone
The OnePlus 11's screen.

If you're an Android fan who's looking for phone deals, you can't go wrong with the OnePlus 11. The smartphone is among the most popular choices in the market right now, and if you're interested, we've rounded up the top sources for discounts when buying the mobile device. It's highly recommended that you hurry with your purchase from your chosen retailer or carrier though, because these offers may change sooner than you think.
OnePlus 11 deals at OnePlus

You can currently buy the OnePlus 11 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $600 from OnePlus, down $100 from its original price of $700, while the OnePlus 11 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is on sale for $650, for savings of $150 on its original price of $800. Buying from OnePlus gets you a free gift -- the OnePlus Buds Z2 wireless earbuds.

Read more
Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals: Save big on the foldable
A person holding a partially open Galaxy Z Fold 4.

With the launch of its predecessor, it's the best time to hunt for discounts on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. It's not going away any time soon because it's still a very fun and capable mobile device, so there will be a lot of demand for savings when buying the foldable smartphone. We've gathered the top ways of getting the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 for cheaper than usual, but you'll have to hurry with your purchase because these offers may disappear at any moment.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals at Samsung
The obvious source for a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is Samsung, which is offering trade-in credit of up to $725 for an unlocked 256GB model of the smartphone that normally costs $1,800. However, you can get it at $800 off, so you'll only have to pay $1,000, if you buy it with a U.S. Cellular plan.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deals at Amazon
The unlocked 256GB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is on Amazon for its retail price of $1,800, but why would you get that model when the unlocked 512GB Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is cheaper at just $1,450, following a $470 discount on its original price of $1,920? It's a no-brainer to go for the version with the larger storage capacity when it's more affordable.

Read more
Best iPhone 15 deals: How to get Apple’s latest iPhone for free
The display on a green iPhone 15.

The iPhone 15 has only just hit stores but that hasn't stopped there being some great iPhone 15 deals going on right now. If you're keen to upgrade to the shiniest of new iPhones, this is your chance to do so. We've picked out all the best iPhone 15 deals going on at the moment including how to get the phone for free. Here's what you need to know about iPhone deals on Apple's latest model.
iPhone 15 deals at Amazon

Amazon has one of the best ways to get an iPhone 15 for free. Sign up to Boost Infinite and you get the Apple iPhone 15 for free. That saves you the $830 you'd normally pay, while Boost Infinite costs $60 per month and gives you unlimited talk, text, and data every month. It's a near-unbeatable deal for many people.

Read more