There are few things more awkward than a first meeting (with the exception of a conference call!). If you have never met the person you are meeting with, you might find yourself wondering what to say or wondering if you have any commonalities. Finding something that you have in common with another person is a great way to break the ice, but who has time to do that kind of research?

Well, soon you might not have to do any research on your own. Debuting for the first time at the SXSW conference is “Charlie,” an app that will help you with your next meeting. Charlie gathers information about anyone you’re meeting with, so all you have to do is bring up those smaller details during your next encounter.

Before you know it, the person you are meeting with will think that you’ve spent hours researching their likes and dislikes, when all you really did was access an intelligent app.

How Charlie Works

Charlie scans your existing calendar looking for any upcoming meetings. Once names have been found, the app then scans a number of Internet resources looking for clues and details about a person.

Once those details have been found, Charlie lets you know what the other person likes, if you have something in common, and whether or not there is any current news about that commonality. For example, if you and the person you’re meeting both like a certain hockey team, Charlie will give you the latest news about that team.

So, not only can you walk into a meeting with information about a person, but you can also bring up something that has recently happened. Believe me, people love it when you are personable, and they love it even more when you have a genuine interest in what they love. In short, Charlie will make your next meeting much simpler. How can you get this app and how much does it cost?

Availability and Updates

Charlie is currently a prototype app. However, the developers behind Charlie plan to have this app out to you within the year. Once the app is ready to roll, it will be one of the hottest apps available, I’m guessing.

There’s no word yet on pricing or other details, but I will keep you posted. For now, you will have to go to your next meeting hoping that you have something in common or something intelligent to say.

Or, you could just check out Facebook and all the other networks to see if you can dig up any details about the person you are going to meet. Charlie takes all of the effort out of researching, and that’s always a great thing!

There’s just one reason why Charlie might not be popular with everyone. This app also has the potential to dig up information on a new date, pretend to like the same things, and then be found out…but most people tend to do that anyway. For the sake of business, though, Charlie is a great idea