Recently I reviewed an app for Android that has some pretty high aims – Fancy. It comes from The Fancy, a sort of social sharing website. In fact, to a lot of people, that might sound just like Pinterest – you browse, look at stuff other people have added and adopt it for yourself, all the while letting the rest of the world know what you thought. The main difference with The Fancy is that this time, you’ll be getting your wallet out…
The Fancy is basically a social network that allows you to buy items of interest and beauty, rather than just collecting lists of them. In fact, the developers sum it up pretty well themselves, saying;
“Fancy is part store, blog, magazine and wishlist.”
You add new things to your profile by either browsing items others have added, or by using the bookmarklet provided so that you can add items you discover as you browse the web. When you’ve marked an object as one you like, it’s been fancy’d. Once you’ve fancy’d, you can opt to buy, rent or book whatever the item is, or simply admire from a distance, as I did with this beautiful hotel garden in Maine.
The Fancy’s website is pretty standard, which at least means it’s easy to find your way around. Where the app really comes into its own is in the apps for portable devices – Fancy’s available for both iOS and Android, and it’s really nice. If you’ve got a tablet, it’s even better – touchscreens and large displays make browsing smooth, and the menus for individual items are well-designed and easy to use.
The Fancy is an interesting app, as it’s clearly aimed at a certain type of user. It’s got good social features, meaning your can integrate it with both Twitter and Facebook. Users can discuss items within the Fancy community, which should give it wide appeal, but the fact that you can buy items you like really sets it apart from competitor sites. Although some of the items for sale are affordable, the vast majority are clearly aimed at those with fatter wallets. If $1,000 tables are your thing, you’ll love it. The rest of us will just have to sit back and dream, but that’s what the internet’s all about, right?
