The age of online dating and long distance travel means many couples find themselves time zones, kilometres, and countries apart. Now there’s an app for that. Actually, there are several apps for that. Here’s a list of just a few places on the internet or your smartphone that will bring you closer to your far away loved one.
Stay in touch
Pair is a smartphone app that aims to keep you close to your partner, even when apart. Created by developers TenthBit Inc., the app connects you to just one other person and allows for texting, and a timeline of photos and videos that you can both contribute to. Other neat features include private check-lists you can both edit (in case you’re planning a road trip, visit, or dealing with a visa application), as well as the ability to send video and voice messages. The feature that gets couples most excited is the thumb kiss where you and your partner touch your smart phone screens at the same time and try to get your thumb-prints to kiss. It’s a 21st century biometric kiss. The app is free for download and uses a data or wifi connection.
Video chatting
Sometimes you just need to see his face. Applications like Pair and Skype make this easy to do with video chatting, but the website tinychat.com brings something else to your screen. TinyChat allows you to create a private chatroom that only you two can access, and what makes it better than almost any other video chat method is that if one partner disconnects, they can reconnect without the permission of the other. This is great for couples who like to just leave the chat on during the day, or while sleeping. If your internet is spotty for a moment and you disconnect from the chat, you can reconnect and your partner will be undisturbed.
Sweet dreams
Couples in a close-enough time zone, there may be a saviour on the way that allows you to sleep in the same bed “ almost. Pillow Talk, the genius invention by Scottish designer Joanna Montgomery, is a pillow that glows when your partner has made it to bed next to you. Joanna explains the technology best on her blog,
“Each person has a ring sensor they wear to bed at night, and a flat fabric panel which slots inside their pillowcase. The ring wirelessly communicates with the other person’s pillow; when one person goes to bed, their lover’s pillow begins to glow indicating their presence. Placing your head on the pillow allows you to hear the real-time heartbeat of your loved one.”
While the product is not yet slated for release, interest does exist and those interested can head on over to the product’s facebook page for updates: http://www.facebook.com/LittleRiotLtd
