Appy ever after: smartphone users find virtual girlfriend

Nabix, a South Korean apps developer, launched one called "Honey, it's me!" on November 30 for iPhone users. It achieved 80,000 downloads a day during an initial free launch period.

There are a number of apps on the market that can make single men feel a little less lonesome, including a night time app that plays the sound of a female sleeping peacefully on the next pillow.

But the "Honey, it's me!" app appears to be the first to make video-calls from a virtual model. Mina, 22, video-calls smartphone users three to four times a day for some sweet talk.

Her messages range from "Are you still sleeping? Time for breakfast!" to "Good night, sweet dreams".

A Korean model posed for the video calls and recorded more than 100 comments to melt the hearts of single men.

"I've developed this application to console people for their loneliness," Kim Yoon-Kak, head of Nabix, told AFP.

Kim said usage had declined since the app went on sale for 1.99 dollars, but he planned to allow free downloads again from this week.

Early reaction to Mina has been enthusiastic. "It's a blessing for all single men," praised one of the users on Twitter.

"Mina called me while I was working overtime. This is just great," said another.

Nabix now plans new versions with more messages in English, Chinese and Japanese, both for free and with a charge for longer comments. An Android version will also be launched.

(c) 2010 AFP