The location-based mobile app empowers users to make new social connections with people nearby who share similar interests such as going to the same places or having a common background. The company has also released its Facebook app, with many of the same rich functionality and features, enabling Facebook users to connect with the full Blendr network.

"Social networking just got 'social', and there's no easier way to meet new people who share your interests than with Blendr", says Joel Simkhai, Founder and CEO. "We've built Blendr to be the ultimate social compass for everyone to strike up conversations with new people nearby and check out what's happening at surrounding venues at the moment."

With Blendr, users can discover new people based on a broad range of interest categories. For example, college students can interact and make new friends on campus and at concerts, while travellers can make new connections abroad, and sports fans can find other fellow enthusiasts.

Users can check into venues, browse how many others are at those venues, and determine whether to venture to the trending hot spot. Blendr is integrated with other social networks, directly allowing users to share and update their Blendr activity on Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. Unlike other social networks that connect users to people and places they already know, Blendr facilitates the discovery of new people and places with secure privacy settings and rich features that give users total control of how they want to connect and interact with others.

Simkhai continues, "Smartphones and location-based services have completely transformed social interactions for everyone, and we've taken our learning from Grindr on creating an incredibly engaging consumer experience and loaded it with the most comprehensive privacy features to give users total control of how they want to interact within the Blendr community."

With Blendr, users can

• browse for users by location, your favourites, those you've chatted with recently, or those currently online
• tap a photo to check out user profiles, photos, interests, and more
• filter users by interest categories such as entertainment, sports, language, profession, and more
• check-in to nearby venues and keep up on the trending spots by seeing who and how many Blendr users have also checked in to help decide whether to venture there by seeing where people are (iOS only).
• start a private instant message conversation via Blendr chat
• check your new friends' latest photos and status updates
• and directly update your status on other social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare within Blendr, making it even easier and more convenient to stay connected.