About Glympse
Why Glympse
Think about it: How often do you share information about your location with friends, family or colleagues each day? Where are you? When will you be home? I'm running 15 minutes late for the meeting. Let's meet at the restaurant at 6 p.m. With Glympse, you no longer need to make a phone call or send a text to communicate common location-based information. Designed to keep up with an increasingly mobile lifestyle, Glympse visually answers the question of "Where are you?" with a dynamic map that updates your whereabouts in real-time.
You can now "glympse" anyone in your contact list and share your location as easily as sending a text message, but a lot more fun. Recipients know exactly where you are, when and for as long as you want them to. In short, Glympse is simple, safe location sharing — in an instant.
Back to the topHow Glympse Works
Glympse is a mobile service that allows GPS-enabled mobile phone users to share their location via a Web-based map for a pre-set period of time with anyone they choose. With Glympse, you are in complete control – you choose WHO you want to see your location, WHEN and for HOW LONG.
Unlike other location-based services that require users to log in and build a friend network before use, Glympse can be used within seconds of downloading to a GPS-enabled smartphone device. There's no need to create an account to use the service, eliminating login and password hassles. Once downloaded, you can "glympse" anyone you choose by simply selecting a contact or contacts, choose the duration you want your location to be available to the recipient, and then hit send. Only Glympse uses patent-pending, time-based GlympseWatch℠ technology that allows users to set a timer for how long their location may be shared, from minutes or up to four hours. A sender has the ability to "pause" or "cancel" a Glympse at any time or choose to extend an existing Glympse. The "auto shut off" security feature addresses the concern that users can easily forget to turn off location-sharing mode and unintentionally broadcast their whereabouts at inappropriate times.
On the receiving end, anyone with an Internet-enable mobile device or email access can receive a Glympse and view your whereabouts turn-by-turn, in full interactive fidelity. The recipient receives an SMS or email message with a unique URL that can be clicked to open browser with a map, pinpointing the sender's precise location.
While Glympse users are given the option of adding a photo and nickname or an optional message to appear on the map with their location, it is not a requirement to use the service. At Glympse, consumer privacy and safety are paramount. With Glympse, you do not need to join a new social network or go through a cumbersome set-up process that requires you to find people with the same phone and service then seek permission to share location with each other. The sender is the only one who decides when they will share their location and with whom and for how long. Once the GlympseWatch expires, or "times out," that's it. The only way a recipient can see your location again is if you send another Glympse. You can also "pause" or "cancel" a Glympse at any time or choose to extend it for up to another four hours.
Ready to get started? Visit our "Get Glympse" page to find out which phones are available for download today and sign up for notification when Glympse is available on your smartphone.
Back to the topWho We Are
Glympse was founded in March 2008 by three regular guys who spent 15 years working together in various capacities at Microsoft. We set aside the security of the paychecks and benefits (like free sodas) that come with employment at a big multi-national corporation to create something we all believe passionately in – Glympse. We saw the emerging technical and social trends and saw a unique opportunity in time to create a new class of location sharing that visually answers the question "where are you?" for people who matter, when it matters.
The Founders
Bryan Trussel, Co-founder and CEO
Bryan is the face of the operation, working to make Glympse part of our daily lives and make sure the product's ease and simplicity coincides with its commitment to safety and security. Bryan spent 16 years leading teams at Microsoft, working on a range of products from Windows to Interactive TV and embedded systems to casual games, including creating and launching several V1.O products, like MessengerGames, Windows CE and Xbox Live Arcade. He has a bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of Utah and an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern. He currently resides in Redmond, Wash. with his wife, four daughters and four-year-old son.
Fave Glympse. Bryan is always a bit behind schedule and will regularly send a Glympse to colleagues and clients prior to meetings so they know exactly when he will arrive. He also has a keen interest in the family uses of Glympse with two newly driving daughters who he likes to know are safe after he hands them the keys. But his all-time favorite is receiving a Glympse, so if you're out and about, send him a Glympse once in a while to bryan [at] glympse [dot] com.Back to the top
Jeremy Mercer, Vice President of Engineering
Jeremy makes the magic happen on the server side of things, ensuring that after you press that button, your location gets to whom you want, when you want. Before co-founding Glympse, he spend 16 years at Microsoft working on embedded system; research; interactive TV; and designing and implementing large scale, real-time, on-line game communities and features. Jeremy has a bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo. Originally from Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Woodinville, Wash. with his wife and four children.
Fave Glympse. Jeremy knows to send his wife a Glympse so she knows when he's picked up the kids from soccer practice… and when he has stopped for ice cream on the way home.Back to the top
Steve Miller, Chief Architect
Steve is the technology guru, turning whiteboard ideas into tangible reality. Prior to co-founding the company, Steve was a principal developer at Microsoft, working on Windows, Interactive TV, Embedded Systems, and architecting the anti-spam efforts for Microsoft Exchange. Steve received his bachelor's in Computer Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and he currently lives in Woodinville, Wash. with his wife and three children.
Fave Glympse. In rare circumstances when Steve stops programming and ventures outdoors, he regularly sends Glympses to friends to coordinate an evening out or meet up at the pub, and he likes to use the ones from Bryan to perfectly time his arrival at meetings.Back to the top
The Advisors
Anatoly Tikhman
Anatoly Tikhman is the founder and President of TikGames, LLC, a video game publishing and development company in San Mateo, Calif. Anatoly is a successful entrepreneur with more than 20 years in the high-tech industry, developing and marketing innovative software applications and building companies. He has founded a number of companies; many of which or their technologies have been acquired by public companies such as Microsoft, Symantec, L&H, and others. Anatoly holds a master’s in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics from Moscow University (Institute of Economics and Statistics).
Back to the topDan Elenbaas
Dan Elenbaas has more than 20 years experience as a technology entrepreneur, and he is currently CEO & Chairman of the Zerk Corporation. From 1997 to 2007, he was President and CEO of Amaze Entertainment, Inc., which is one of the world's largest and most successful independent video game development companies. Amaze Entertainment created dozens of best-selling games, many based on major entertainment brands such as Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. Previously, Dan started, funded, and sold, amaze inc!, a consumer software developer/publisher that enjoyed significant success with its leading calendar software based on The Far Side comic and other popular content. He received a bachelor’s in Political Science from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Back to the topTom Button
Tom Button is a software development strategist with a long, successful career in creating leading-edge technology. After nearly 20 years with Microsoft, Tom retired from Microsoft in 2007 as Corporate Vice President of Platform Strategy, where his responsibilities included driving the creation of Microsoft's long-range opportunity map and corresponding product strategy, with a personal focus on location-based software and services. Previously, he served as Corporate Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Product Management, and Product Planning for Microsoft Windows, where he rebuilt the Windows' marketing organization and led several innovative efforts, including the Starter Edition of Microsoft Windows, the Start Something campaign, and the Windows Marketplace. Tom started his career as a management strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, and currently serves as an advisor to several Seattle area startups and is on the Board of Directors of Artinsoft Corporation. Button holds a BSE from Princeton University in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.