As I’ve said before, it’s natural to want to just randomly flip through content. Whether it’s flipping through the TV ages ago or perusing books in a library before that, humans have a tendency to shut their brains off on occasion and leave their enjoyment center up to fate. One such app is Wildcard, which basically serves as a randomized news source. In other words, it’s a web browser that lets you select from suggested, tending bits of content, as well as search for what you want.
I immediately tested it out by typing in Marvel to see what would pop up, and in addition to the standard Wikipedia entry for the company, flipping through would produce current news for the film franchise as well as related news from properties like DC. It’s a living search, so instead of looking for something on another platform and selecting an article based on keywords or a headline, you’ll see a preview text box and an accompanying image.
The UI is facilitated through a clever “card” format, hence the “Wildcard” deck gimmick. It’s a small thing, but the interface is clean and easy to read. Wildcard is a dual-function app, allowing you to easily look through product reviews and even purchase something inside.
While it is just as easy to go through reviews, the results aren’t quite as robust as an old fashioned search on another platform, so I never really felt compelled to buy anything without exhausting all of my research options on a more convenient platform. Wildcard mostly shines in spurts, and doesn’t feel like a replacement to any one tool. Plus, the best functionality only comes from retailers who opt into their system, so it’s even more limited.
The real question is how much Wildcard is actually needed. While the results are fairly accurate, any number of apps that we already access daily provide us with “trending” topics. Facebook and Twitter are the juggernauts, and odds are if there’s something out there we want to know about, either of them will inform us. Still, if you have a bit of free time and are drowning in “social” programs at the moment, it’s worth at least trying Wildcard.
Wildcard is an iOS that can be downloaded for free in the iTunes App Store.