Sometimes I think the whole world is possessed with smartphones, mobile browsing, and building thousands upon thousands of applications to make it easier to stay connected to just about anything via your mobile phone. It should come as no surprise, then, that online dating has “gone mobile” enthusiastically and deliberately. Mobile applications are the hottest ticket around and online dating sites are not about to be left behind.

Any online dating site that wants to compete in the marketplace absolutely must have a mobile “app” available for its users, and just about every major online dating service does indeed have one. SpeedDate, Skout, Radaroo, DateCheck, and Zoosk are a few examples of these rapidly growing and expanding types of services. Even the more mainstream dating sites like Match.com are getting in on the act, putting out apps designed to enhance the experience of their members.

But don’t for a moment think that these companies are doing all of this just to be nice; no, there is a huge amount of money to be made from mobile online dating. In 2007 the mobile dating market was valued at about $330 million, while in 2008 that number jumped to a whopping $550 million; the projection for 2013 is for the value to increase to approximately $1.3 billion. It’s no wonder, then, that online dating services are jumping headfirst into the mobile marketplace.

What does this mean for you? In general, the explosive growth of mobile online dating options works in your favor because it allows you even greater choice and access when it comes to dating. Where you need to be careful, though, is in the added costs. Some sites offer their mobile services for free, while others charge a fee; additionally, depending on your service plan you may get hit with big overage charges for the extra data usage you’ll rack up using these kinds of apps.

The best approach is to read the fine print on the service you’re interested in, check with your mobile phone company regarding your data usage plan, and then start taking advantage of the flexibility and fun of using online mobile dating apps!

News & Views Cell Phone, Dating Applications, iPhone, Match.com, Mobile Phone, Zoosk

You’ve got to love technology! Add to the hundreds and hundreds of useful (and sometimes not so useful) applications for your iPhone a brand new one that lets you do a fast background check on someone with just a few clicks. Called DateCheck, this ingenious little piece of software lets you put in a person’s name, phone number, or email address, and it will search a variety of web resources to quickly give you a snapshot of the person’s background and life.

DateCheck does this by using the information you plug into it to conduct a web search of multiple sources such as social networking sites, public records, and the like. And boy, does it ever come back with plenty of information! From criminal records to property assets to allowing you to submit ratings for a particular person, DateCheck makes it easy to, well, check someone out.

I really like the way DateCheck categorizes the information it finds, too. The first category is the Sleaze Detector, which is where you will find information about DUIs, sexual offenses, or other criminal issues. Next up is Compatibility, matching their zodiac sign to yours (okay, this one is not very scientific), followed by Net Worth, Living Situation, and Interests. It’s so effective at checking out these categories that if a person owns a home, for instance, you stand a decent chance of being able to tell its number of bedrooms and square footage.

Unfortunately, DateCheck is only available for the iPhone right now, so if you have another kind of mobile phone you’re out of luck. But look on the bright side – if you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy an iPhone this neat little application might just be the reason you need!

Dating Essentials Background Checks, Crime, iPhone, Mobile, Online Safety