A new app has hit iPhones, and its asking its users one simple question: Peep or toss? Launched in August, Steeze, the brainchild of a group of grad students, hopes that its app, which captures an Instagram meets Tinder vibe, will catch on with a younger crowd that is growing tired of the standard social media networks.
The most fun aspect of Steeze is its Peep or Toss feature. For too long, Facebook users have decried the lack of a “Dislike” button. Steeze has that. The Peep or Toss function works like Tinder, sweep left to Peep, right to Toss. It is a pretty good time killer, deciding what content figuratively lives or dies. If they are feeling benevolent, a user can Peep whatever their friends have posted, or if not, Toss it. Luckily, the poster can decide if other users can see their Tosses. And while other users cannot see who Tossed what, the original poster can see that, as well.
With an interface designed by ROMtheworld, the app also looks really good. An award-winning sneaker artist, ROM adds that sensibility to Steeze. Its uncluttered design is easily navigated, and its multi-view layout allows users to see more images at a time.
User content is incredibly varied. Coming along with ROM is the rest of the sneaker community, and Steeze carries an extremely fashionable vibe. Many users post custom shoes and clothes, showing off their style. Fashion is not the only art to go on Steeze, as a vibrant artist’s community has also cropped up, showing off their work. It is very cool feeling, almost ground floor to see these cutting edge artists first spread their wings.
The app has a wide variety of photo editing features. More than Instagram’s color palette, users can also make their pictures into memes, add borders, stickers, and frames. Steeze also has a video uploading feature to compete with Vine. The video feature allows users to start and stop their recordings without having to start a new video. Making things disappear from the frame is enough to make anyone feel like an actual film editor. Or whatever the 21st Century phone filmmaker version of that is.
One of the more interesting features is the Mag, which is a source for all the pop culture news a young user would want. Steeze has its own team of dedicated writers generating its own content, and even its own website, but the mobile app has an interesting added feature. Users can choose to receive RSS feeds from sources like MTV, Billboard, Cosmo, and other sites, curating their feed to give them the information they want. And though the users can be arty, there’s a place for jocks, too, with an ESPN RSS feed also available.
The app has only been out for a couple of months, so while there is room for improvement, the potential is definitely there. As more users move to the app, the experience is sure to become deeper and more varied. In fact, that may be Steeze’s biggest flaw, and it has nothing to do with the app itself. All it will take is people finding Steeze, and they are sure to Peep.
By Bryan Levy
Sources:
iTunes
Steeze MAG
ROMtheworld
Sneaker Watch
