Back in 2006, before the rise of iPhones and Androids, I created Mobuds, a pioneering mobile app built in Java J2ME. Designed for chatting — and yes, dating too — it worked on early mobile phones long before the app ecosystem we take for granted existed.

Mobuds enabled a Bluetooth-based mesh network between nearby devices. Phones running the app could:

• Connect directly to others nearby
• Estimate proximity based on the number of Bluetooth “hops”
• Share messages and user-profiles across the mesh — without the internet
• Creating a hyper-local social network, syncing with a website to find matches and build connections later on.

Each user had a basic profile (nickname, age, gender) that could be discovered and shared across the mesh network.

To expand its reach, I designed the concept of a “mo-hub” — a fixed Bluetooth node that could:

• Act as a central relay to extend mesh range
• Connect venues together (extending the mesh)
• Serve localized ads to nearby devices (potential monetization)

Mobuds tackled the limitations of early mobile platforms with some clever solutions:

• Built in Java J2ME
• Worked on pre-smartphone devices
• Used Bluetooth service descriptions to passively broadcast messages even when direct connections weren’t possible
• Included:
  • ✅ Friends list
  • 🚫 Block list
  • 🔔 Proximity alerts (get notified when someone matching criteria is nearby)

This was essential in an era where:

• Internet data was expensive
• GPS was rare
• Bluetooth support was inconsistent

Although a patent was drafted and submitted (2007) for the core technology, it wasn’t completed due to cost. However, this work exists as prior art, protecting it from being re-patented.

A draft of the patent application is included in this repository for reference (UK Application 0717040.0, Publication GB2455964. The other name of the Patent was in charge of graphic/website design) .

This was my first Java project — and a steep learning curve. When smartphones arrived, I didn’t have the resources to port Mobuds to iOS or Android.

Still, I’m proud of what it achieved:

A fully offline, peer-to-peer Bluetooth chat and discovery network — before the world was ready.

I’m releasing this code as a reference for anyone interested in:

• Offline communication
• Bluetooth mesh networks
• Early mobile application architecture
• Peer-to-peer discovery

⚠️ If someone claims they invented Bluetooth Mesh Messaging after 2006 — remind them:
Mobuds got there first. (check the domain name registration date!)

RobSmithDev
🔗 mobuds.com