Dating Services

In mid August eHarmony released their iPhone Dating App. On September 28 a eHarmony Dating App for Android phones was released. As with the iPhone version, users can view their list of matches, look at members profiles, and communicate with them. Communication includes using the guided communication process, sending ice breakers and eHarmony Mail. Some parts of your profile can also be updated through the app as well like your photos (by using the camera built into your phone).

To take this new Dating App for a test drive, visit the Android Pit on your phone to download. To find out more about this online dating service, check out our eHarmony.com review.

eLove is quickly growing into a large matchmaking service with 50 offices located across the United States. The have recently acquired Cupid's Coach which is a matchmaking company based in Los Angeles. This acquisition will add two new locations to eLove, one in Los Angles and one in Westlake Village.

Julie Ferman will still stay on at Cupid's Coach as the principle matchmaker. She has more than 20 years experience in the industry and has been responsible for over 1100 marriages. She also has been on national TV and was recently awarded "Matchmaker of the Year Award" at iDate.

To find other similar services, check out our Matchmaking Services category.

For a limited time Perfectmatch.com is offering a full 3-day trial membership for free. Now members can try out the online dating site and be able to create a profile, receiving matches, use the advance search and communication tools (like email). This new promotion will enable singles to see that PerfectMatch is a high quality dating service with a large membership base and is worth joining. Once the trial is almost over members can either cancel the membership or receive a special discount price of $29.95 per month. This is 50% off of PerfectMatch's normal subscription rates.

To find out more about this dating site you can read our review of PerfectMatch.

The UK dating company Easydate shares rose roughly 13 percent to 102.5p in September on news that profit increased to almost £2m from revenues of £8.8m for the first half of 2010. For the whole of 2009 revenue for the company was £8.5m with profits of just under £1m. Easydate is now valued at £77m. This is £32m more than when it first listed on June 30th of this year.

Easydate currently runs Cupid.com in the United Kingdom and Europe. They now will be taking charge of the US and Canada operations for Cupid.com in a £4.4m deal. This increases Easydate's holding of dating sites in North America to three.

Easydate may also be in a bit of legal trouble. easyGroup has threatened action against Easydate over alleged trademark infringement. easyGroup currently licenses the name "easy" to a number of companies. This includes easyCar, easyHotel and easyJet. easyGroup claims Easydate was trying to use their brand recognition and pass off as one of their own.

To find out more about the dating site mentioned in this story, read our review of Cupid.com.

Dancing, music, humor, and organized fighting.

These 5 things are the interests that appear most frequently on OkCupid's list of the stuff Latino men like, a part of their newest study of online dating trends. The importance of music and dancing to the culture is clearly exhibited by both the men's list and the women's list: the terms "merengue," "bachata," "reggaeton," "musica," and "salsa" appear in both lists, always in the first half. Latino men also appear to have, in Christian Rudder's words, "an interest in telling you about their sense of humor" and "an interest in industrial strength ass-kicking." "I'm a funny guy," "comedy," "very funny," and "outgoing and funny," make the men's list of most-used words and phrases, as do "boxing," "Marines," "MMA," "UFC," and "law enforcement."

The interests of Latina women are, for the most part, exactly what you would expect from an online dating profile. Family is mentioned ("familia," "family-oriented," "mom's"), as are friends ("amigos," "my girlfriends"). Career and schooling make appearances as "education," "medical field," "my B.A." and "social worker." Movies, music, and physical appearance are also important ("Sixteen Candles," "Juanes," and "mascara"). Latina women break the mold, however, with "I'm terrified of," a phrase which appears at #42 on their list. OkCupid's team delved further into that unusual phrase, and discovered that the words that typically come next are "insects" and "the dark," "though one expert tautologist is 'terrified of being scared' and another woman is 'terrified of Martians.'"

Simplicity dominates the lists for Asian men and women. "I'm a simple guy" occupies the second spot on the men's list, while "I'm a simple girl" takes the third spot on the women's list. Asian men are also careful to mention their specific heritage in their profiles. "Taiwan" is the #1 term on the men's list, with "Korea," "Singapore," and "Korean" following in the 3rd, 5th, and 7th positions. Food ("pho," "a foodie," "sashimi") and sports ("cricket," "tennis," "badminton") are important to Asian men, but not as important as education and occupation. "Freakonomics," "mechanical engineer," "an engineer," "entrepreneur," "analyst," "Malcolm Gladwell," "finance," "accountant," "pursuing my," "investing," "electrical engineering," "investment," and "currently studying" all make the list.

Asian women also describe themselves as foodies (with a particular interest in "chocolates," which is #2 on their list), but show an interest in cooking the food as well as consuming it ("Food Network," "Anthony Bourdain," "new recipes," "cooking and baking," "cookbooks"). Like the women of every other culture, Asian women enjoy music ("Jason Mraz," "Michael Buble," "Norah Jones") and movies ("Slumdog Millionaire," "Sleepless in Seattle," "A Walk To Remember"), but what really makes Asian women stand out is their worldliness and urge to explore. "Different places," "different cultures," "trying out new things," and "my passport" appear on their list but, with the exception of a couple of overlaps with Asian men, not on any other lists.

Rudder does not provide commentary on the lists for Indians, Middle Easterners, and Pacific Islanders, so join us next time for a breakdown of the final 3 cultures and a look at effectiveness of the study.

On September 15th, 2010 SpeedDate.com announced that they had reached 10 million users. SpeedDate is different than other dating sites because their main focus is to connect singles in real-time via internet video chat and mobile phones (with an iPhone application). Members go on five minute online dates to determine if chemistry exists between them. These short dates puts the emphases more on communication and less on the dating profile. Other popular mainstream dating sites tend to work the other way around. This is the first time that a speed dating site has reached the 10 million member mark.

For more on this story, read the press release. To find other related dating services, you can check out our Speed Dating reviews category.