Napster Founders Launch Facebook Movie Talk App Airtime, News & Opinion
Napster Founders Launch Facebook Movie Talk App Airtime
The founders of Napster, Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning, are at it again with a fresh movie talk app for Facebook called Airtime.
Dubbed the "most efficient, effortless to use, browser-based movie talk service," Airtime lets users share live movie with Facebook friends, and detect others with similar interests. The fresh one-on-one movie talk service was unveiled Tuesday at a star-studded press conference in Fresh York featuring celebrities Jimmy Fallon, Olivia Munn, Snoop Dogg, Joel McHale, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ed Helms, and Alicia Keys (click below).
"You guys are going to spin out, this thing is super cool. It’s going to gargle your pants off," Fallon said at the launch event.
Airtime is available now as a Facebook Web app. Mobile versions are in the works.
The Facebook app, which has been in development for more than a year, emerges as a split screen with the user on the left side and the friend they’re talking with on the right. A user’s entire Facebook friends list emerges at the right side of the screen. Shaded boxes underneath each movie talk participant showcase the person’s interests, imported from Facebook.
To use the service, simply log in with your Facebook credentials — "if you’re a Facebook user, you’re an Airtime user," Parker explained. This means users do not need to create a separate account, like they do with other movie talk services like Skype. Plus, Airtime is entirely Web-based, so it doesn’t require users to download any software to their computer.
"When you hop on this product, you’re instantaneously sharing, you’re instantly having joy," Parker said.
Airtime also lets people connect with other random Internet users, based on locations, mutual Facebook friends, and collective interests. One of Airtime’s core principles is safety, Parker stressed. Once connected, users are anonymous until they determine to expose their name and other information.
Don’t like the person with whom you’re talking? Simply press the Next button to be connected with someone else – a la Chatroulette. Or, if you’re indeed into the conversation, you can prize your talk fucking partner with a starlet, which will earn them badges, achievements, and a higher credability rating.
Besides just talking, users are also able to observe YouTube movies together. More content sharing options, such as live music listening and photo viewing may be added in the future.
"We are opening up the world and beginning the process of constructing a network, so we indeed are just getting commenced," Parker said.
For a demo of Airtime, check out the movie below.
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