HARDLINE Chat – an app for Voice & Text Chat for Gay, Bi and Curious Guys
by Toni McQuilken
Feb 24, 2012 11:43 AM –
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HARDLINE Chat is an social app to browse profiles, leave voice greetings, video clip, or start a text chat to connect with Gay, Bi and Curious men for dating, hook-ups, and more. It is location aware and has the capability to show you who is online and nearby, plus it has a large community to interact with.
Price: Free
Tested on: MyTouch 3G Slide
Content Rating: High Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- A great way for gay, bi and curious men to meet others like them.
- Easy to get started.
- Shows who’s online now, who’s mobile, who’s nearby, etc.
- You can leave a voice greeting, video clip as well as start a text chat.
Cons
- The majority of men seem to be in their early 20s, and are looking for a booty call more than anything else.
Features:
I’d like to say up front that I am a married woman reviewing this app – we here at AndroidTapp.com thought that of all the reviewers, I would be the one most likely to give an app like this the most unbiased review. And that’s what I aim to do.
Hardline Chat is a mobile app that puts you in contact with other gay or bi men who are looking for someone. It is, in that respect, just like any other social networking app out there, its aim is to connect you to people you have interest with and you want to talk to. When you sign in, you can create a profile, but to start with, if you just want to browse the listings, you can just do that. It is sorted automatically by putting those men who are currently online and looking to chat at the top of the list. You can also sort it by men who are in your local area, or who are in driving distance. In the settings, you can customize the search distance and how many profiles load at a time.
While browsing through profiles, you can mark men as “hot” that you can later sort by your own “hot list” which is a nice feature if you just want to go through and browse the listings first, then go back and contact the ones that catch your eye. You can also sent a text chat to initialize the conversation, or on most profiles, you can also leave a voice message introducing yourself.
In this particular type of app, where the goal is to meet people, therefore, pictures are important. You’ll want to upload one for your own profile, and the profiles that catch your eye are going to be the ones with pictures. When you click on a profile to get more information, you see the picture – which is a thumbnail in the grid list – full size on your screen, along with any message that person has left on their profile. You’ll also get their age, how far away they are from your currently location (using the GPS signal on your phone) as well as that person’s preferred position.
The one thing I didn’t like about the app isn’t really the app’s fault. While there were a smattering of men in their 30s or 40s, the majority were young, 18-21, and from the messages on their profiles, were looking for hook-ups and booty calls more than a relationship. Which, if that’s what you’re looking for, is fine, but it did make the occasional profile stating they were just looking for someone to talk to stand out of the crowd that much more. You could use this app as a way to find other men to talk to who understand you and your preferences, but based on the profiles, you’re going to be more likely to use it as a way to find companionship for the evening.
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Hardline Main View
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Hardline Thumbnail View
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Hardline Profile
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Hardline Chatting
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Hardline About
Usefulness:
It really depends on what you’re looking for, as to how useful this app is. If you’re looking to use it as a dating app, like an eHarmony or Match, to meet someone you could be with long term, then it might not be the app for you. There are a few profiles that gave that impression, but the vast majority are looking for something a lot less permanent, and a lot less “friendly”. On the other hand, if you’re looking for someone you can have some fun with and if it goes somewhere great, but that’s not the prime reason, then it might be a more useful tool for you.
Ease of Use:
Hardline Chat is actually very easy to use. You start off right in the profiles, and sorting through them is fast and easy. Age and a snippet of any message, along with a thumbnail picture, are available in the main listing, and if you click on a profile for more information, you’ll get a bit more to help you decide if you want to contact that person. Granted, it’s not a full profile like you would see on a dating site, per se, but it will give you the basics. I liked that it had a few different ways to sort the listings, so you can narrow it down to what you’re looking for.
Frequently Used:
Again, this really depends on what you’re using the app for. If you’re looking for long term, then you’ll use it until you find that person and then stop. However, if you’re using it as more of a short term meeting app, then you’ll probably use it most on the weekends.
Interface:
The interface itself is very clean, with a bar across the top showing you what your current sort parameters are, as well as a bar at the bottom to let you adjust. Hitting the Android Menu button will bring up a few other options, like the preferences menu where you can edit your profile, adjust your settings, etc.
AndroidTapp.com Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Should you Download HARDLINE Chat? This app makes no pretense about what it is, or what it’s for. It’s not a porn app, where you’re going to see naked pictures, but at the same time, it is a hook-up app, where you can go to meet other men who are looking for the same things you are. If you’re a gay, bi, or curious man looking for that kind of relationship, then this is a great app to try. It gives you enough information to know who you would want to chat with, and allows you to chat through the app itself, so you can get to know the guy before you give away your actual contact information. All in all, it’s a solid app that does exactly what it says it will do.