Mind cloning, off-the-grid chats turn heads at SXSW

By Mae Anderson The Associated Press

Grumpy Cat, pictured in July 2014.

AUSTIN, Texas As a plane with a Grumpy Cat flag flew overhead, courtesy of Friskies, the Technorati flooded into panel discussions and happy hour spots at the annual tech festival South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.

Top tech influencers pondered immortality and mind cloning. FireChat, an app that lets smartphone users connect via mobile chat even without a cellular connection, was another hot topic. Heres a look at the most notable trending topics Sunday at the tech jamboree.

OFF-THE-GRID MOBILE CHAT

No cell service? No problem.

An app called FireChat uses phone signals such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to connect to other users phones and enable chats without any network connection. The app, created by a San Francisco startup called Open Garden, debuted in 2012 and was a hit last August at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock, Nevada, where cellphone service is scarce.

It links people via what it calls a peer-to-peer mesh network, connecting through phone signals rather than a network. The range is about 90 feet but the connection can jump from phone to phone if theres a crowd. Its software-only, says co-founder and CEO Micha Benoliel. Currently the app supports public group chats and hashtags; private messaging is coming.

The app, which is a finalist for South by Southwests innovation awards, has 5 million users and has been used by tens of thousands of people in India and the Philippines at political protests. As a new startup, Benoliel says his first time at South by Southwest has been positive. The best surprise has been going to parties and having people asking how they can use FireChat for their event, he says.

TRANSGENDER AND BEYOND IN TECH

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Mind cloning, off-the-grid chats turn heads at SXSW