Now, iPhone helps gays to find one another

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND: An application on the iPhone, a multimedia smartphone designed by Apple Inc, uses global positioning system (GPS) technology to track down gay people and help them meet one another.

The iPhone application - Grindr - uses the iPhone's GPS system to let its users see a list of other gay men in the vicinity, and also provides vital statistics such as height, weight, age, ethnic background, and even a photo, New Zealand Herald reported.

The new technology has proved to be a hit with the country's homosexual community, and Grindr developer Joel Simkhai said it solved a key problem - knowing who else in your immediate vicinity is gay.

A similar version for lesbians will be out by the end of the year, Simkhai said.

Former editor of Gay New Zealand portal, Matt Akersten said hundreds of local gay men have embraced the application.

"You might not be in the traditionally gay areas - you could be in one of the smaller centres - and you just plug it in and realise you're not alone, and there are other people like you out there, it's a great networking tool," he said.

The application, however, has an accuracy rating of plus or minus three km, he said.