Futuristic Online Dating Apps Coming For Apple’s iPad

Apple’s iPad is paving the way for some forward-thinking online dating applications.

Later this month dating site Skout.com will launch the first online dating application for the Apple iPad.

The dating application will be free and will be like the current app that Skout offers their smartphone users.

Skout users can search for people by age, gender and physical attributes, and Skout’s HotMap will return real-time listings for the locations of active Skout users who fit the search.

The idea is to help users find and meet other singles in their area.

Alex Willcock, CEO of VisualDNA, a maker of visual-based quiz software, says the iPad allows online dating sites to take their personal services to the next level by “providing users with a fun, engaging and enriching experience, while embracing the key elements of the iPad — simplicity and spontaneity.”

Steve Odom, CEO of online dating site Gelato, plans to redesign the Gelato website based on the iPad’s appearance. Odom says, a person’s profile picture plays a big part in online dating success and the iPad gives dating sites an opportunity to improve the presentation for their users.

David Evans, editor for onlinedatingpost.com, believes dating sites will start to display their sites like an electronic magazine, where people can flip through pages of personal profiles and enlarge photos while messaging with other users.

Evans notes that there has been discussions about adding facial-coding and eye-tracking software that would use an iPad webcam to refine profile matches based on a user’s response to profiles they view. If a person makes a grimace at an online dating profile, the profile would disappear from the screen. If a user reacted positively to a profile by smiling, similar profiles would be shown.

Love at first sight? There’s an app for that.

[ Source: Time Magazine ]