Thumb

CNET Editors' review

by: Jaymar Cabebe on January 18, 2012

Thumb for Android gives you an easy way to pose questions to and get instant opinions from the public. If used correctly, this simple app can be a valuable tool for casual research or daily decision-making. It's also fun if you just want to have people chime in on random topics.

If the concept of Thumb seems familiar, that might be because the app was originally released under the name Opinionaided. Though its name is different now, the app has retained all of its core functionality and is more or less the same as before.

There are two ways to use Thumb: Ask for Opinions or Give Your Opinion. To ask for opinions, just type out a question and post a photo (required). You can add a photo from your gallery, take a new photo, or search the Web, right from within the Thumb interface. Next, choose a category for your post in order to give it some context. Then, sit back and wait for the greater Thumb community to weigh in with comments and votes.

On the flip-side, voting with Thumb is even simpler. Just fire up the Give Your Opinion section of the app and start casting your votes with a thumb up or thumb down. Once you vote on one item, the app will automatically move you to the next. And if you feel so inclined, you can add extra comments, which are always appreciated by other users.

From what I've seen, the Thumb community is vibrant and excited. In many cases, my questions got upward of 75 responses within just a few minutes. And while I didn't always get the most articulate and insightful comments on my posts, I did get a feel for the community's general opinion, which I found valuable in many respects. I'll definitely continue to use it to take casual polls and get feedback.

At this point, the only problem with Thumb is that sometimes its users pose questions too complex or otherwise unfit for the platform. For instance, a question like "what's the best restaurant in San Francisco?" doesn't lend itself well to Thumb's voting system. In my experience, all of the best posts are simple yes-or-no questions that are directly related to a picture. When Thumb's users get a better hang of the platform, I can see it becoming a lot more powerful.

Publisher's Description

From Thumb:

It's easy. You simply ask a question and boom! The responses come flying in. Called "highly addictive" by Mashable and "dead simple" by The Next Web, users are flocking to Thumb to solicit feedback and help others by weighing in with their opinions.

Features:

-Vote and comment on questions

-Responses come in just seconds after you post your question

-Choose your audience: post questions to everyone on Thumb, select a gender, or just send to your Friends

-Respond to questions in a specific category

-Connect with people who share similar interests

-Reward people by giving them Stars for helpful responses and more!

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