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Show HN: Swap contacts by scanning QR codes on your phone

5 points by imaginaryunit ↗ HN
We recently developed a way to get rid of paper business cards and their shortcomings (e.g.: clutter). It's called Napkkin (www.napkkin.com), and it lets you create a business card on your phone and swap it with people you meet by scanning a QR Code. You can get referred by your new contacts and get notified in real-time so you can track who's helping you with word-of-mouth referrals. We've got mobile/desktop web apps and Android/iPhone native apps set up. We're looking for feedback, so let us know what you think!

6 comments

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bdfh42
I have been generating just such a QR code on my Android phone for a few months - to pass contact info to others. Works OK.

Not sure about the "referral" tracking bit - but I am probably not your typical user.

Lot of "prior art" using infra red signals from back in the early Windows mobile days - might be worth finding out where that went in the business environment - and thus potential paying customers.

jordhy
I like you concept, but already use Bump. How is this better/easier than Bu.mp?
imaginaryunit
We've found that Bump often requires several re-bumps, whereas QR codes can be reliably scanned within a few seconds. Also, we enable referrals of contacts (and real-time notifications thereof) with a single touch & click gesture.
jordhy
Wow. That's really good. Impressive. I'll try this!
dwshorowitz
Really smart idea, site looks solid. I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of QR codes, but you mention in your response to Jordhy that it's more fail safe than Bump.

Looking forward to checking it out.