TechCrunch talks about mobile+real-world interactions ...

... in this discussion of LimeJuice, a mobile social network. The problem, well described by TechCrunch, is this:

Using your phone to create or enhance real world interactions is a killer application, but no one has cracked the nut yet. The reason is that the network is useless until it achieves a critical mass of users who are online and using the application via their mobile phone. If no one else is online, there’s little point in you being online, either. And presence detection is another (technical) problem. Even if people have joined the network, how do you know when they are near you?

LimeJuice's solution seems primarily positioned as a dating service. Great, but there are many other applications that are both important and perhaps more profitable. I'm particularly thinking of conventions and conferences as well as facilitated meetings of temporary federations of service providers (e.g., contractors and subcontractors).
LimeJuice’s Mobile Social Network: It’s Easy, And So People May Use It

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