Much as I admire the well rounded user experience on an iPhone (leaving notifications aside), there are some kinds of innovation that simply aren’t possible on the iPhone today, as it doesn’t let developers hook in deeply enough. One example is the games discovery app recently released by our portfolio company Heyzap. Once you install the Heyzap app, it notices when you launch game apps and gives you an opportunity to “check in." Checking in broadcasts your gameplay to the Heyzap network and optionally lets you post to Twitter and Facebook as well.
If you are on Android, you should definitely try out the Heyzap app even if you don’t play games on your phone (yet). You may see friends playing games that wind up intriguing you. For instance, by following Jude, one of Heyzap’s co-founders, I discovered the XConstruction game, which challenges you to build bridges using metal girders. It’s very geeky which is probably why it appeals to me. What’s great about the openness of the Android platform is that Heyzap was able to deliver the check in popup as a user choice. Heyzap also offers an SDK that game developers can integrate, but if people like the check in experience, they don’t need to wait for developer adoption.
You can read more about about Heyzap’s release of the app on their blog. Now please excuse me while I go off to get lunch and build the level 8 bridge on XConstruction while waiting in line.
