Bipper AS, a Norwegian tech company best known for Bipper, a parental control smartphone program, have come out with a new application that has already seen considerable European success: bSafe. The application allows you to immediately send out an S.O.S. if you find yourself in trouble while out walking at night. It does this by sending text messages and phone calls to a predetermined list of “Guardians” who function as your emergency contact and who are given a map of your exact location. This information can then, presumably, be passed on to the police.
The bSafe application, which available globally this week for both Android and iPhone users, has already hit select European markets. It has seen impressive success there, garnering media publicity and surpassing two of the most popular apps in the world – Angry Birds and Facebook – in recent downloads.
bSafe has proven that it can be successful, then. But can it actually keep you safe while walking at night? Can it give your phone a security feature besides a basic reverse phone lookup? Is it worth having as a last-ditch, security precaution?
The short answer, it would seem, is no. If you’re truly in a dangerous situation, calling 9-1-1 is probably easier and it is certainly more effective. Most cell phones allow you to program 9-1-1 into one of the speed dial options (usually “9″) and a police dispatcher can figure out your location even if you don’t provide one. Having a text sent to your best friend saying that you’re in trouble is simply not going to give you the same rapidity of response. Think about it; in this hypothetical situation, your friend will likely try calling you back first, just to make sure that you truly need their help. It is probably only if they don’t get an answer that they’ll call 9-1-1. Getting the bSafe app, then, can take away valuable time if you do find yourself in an emergency.
But the application does have some intriguing uses and possibilities, albeit not those that it originally intended. For example, it allows you to go into “Risk Mode”, which tracks your exact location by GPS and can then send that route to a designated computer. For people who want to go for a run and then see their route sitting on the screen when they get back, bSafe is an appealing application. Furthermore, the app’s general mapping and navigation software is accurate, fast, and easy to use.
So I might find myself downloading bSafe in the near future. But I certainly don’t plan to send out any S.O.S.’s – whether or not I find myself in a dangerous situation.
This guest post is by Nancy Evans. She is a freelance writer that specializes in tech and business.
This post brought to you by LG. All opinions are 100% mine.
I remember my first LG phone. It was the LG VX7000 and I bought it because it was innovative, giving me a camera that I could turn from pointing away from me to pointing at me and many angles in between. These days, it looks like LG is innovating again. This time, they’ve launched the LG Optimus One, a fast smartphone running Android at an entry level price. It’s pretty decent looking, too.
Looks and price aren’t everything, and that’s true with this phone, too. More than just a pretty face and even better looking price tag, it still offers some great smartphone features.
Optimus One Specs
While most people may only care about the camera (a decent but not record-breaking 3.1 MP) and the battery life (LG proudly boasts about the 1500mAh capacity battery), there’s a few other important technical specifications you should know about:
* Android 2.2 (Froyo)
* 3.2-inch Capacitive Screen, @ 320 x 480
* 600 MHz CPU
* 170MB User Memory
* 802.11 b/g, A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
* 3.1 MP auto focus camera
* HSDPA 7.2, WCDMA : 900 / 2100, GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
* 700 hr (2G) / 550 hr (3G) Standby Time
* 480 min (2G) / 450 min (3G) Talk Time
The Android 2.2 OS and 600MHz processor are a big part of why this is not a standard entry level phone. It’s fast and friendly, offering two to three times faster web browsing and smoother scrolling. The camera is important, too, though. Some of the Google features mentioned below make great use of the camera, not to mention it’s face tracking and smile shot capabilities.
Optimus One Google Features
Google makes some really cool tools and web applications, but more and more, they are flexing their mobile muscles as well. The pairing of a lot of cool Google integration and the LG Optimus One looks fantastic.
After watching the video above, I really wanted to start downloading some of this for my own phone, but it’s not available for me. It’s not a stand-alone reason to run out and buy the Optimus One, but it’s definitely a factor.
How Smart Is It?
A smartphone isn’t just smart because it has a faster processor or large screen. It’s all the things a handset can do that make it a smartphone. As mentioned above, this phone is optimized for Google Mobile Services including Google Voice SearchTM, Google Voice ActionsTM, Google GogglesTM, Google ShopperTM and Google MapsTM with Navigation. You can also sync with your Outlook Calendar, which is a must for me. Perhaps one of the coolest features is the Wi-Fi hotspots, which allow you to share your 3G connection with other devices that can connect via Wi-Fi. This would be particularly useful, for example, if you need to get some work done on your laptop but there was no Wi-Fi in sight.
The user experience plays its part, too. What good is functionality if it’s hard to use or you have to navigate for five minutes to find something? LG loaded the Optimus One up with some apps and widgets geared towards ease of use. Even a techie like me can spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get around Android if they’ve never used it before. A lot of useful features are found pretty quickly right on the Optimus One’s home screens. Additionally, this phone includes the exclusive LG App Advisor, which recommends 10 highly rated applications every two weeks to help you find the gems in the 80,000+ App Android Market.
Final Thoughts
Although I didn’t have the pleasure of personally test driving the Optimus One myself, what I’ve seen in the video reviews, spec list, photos and pricing point to a good purchase. In one of LG’s promotional videos, they mention that they hope to lead the path when it comes to putting smartphones in the hands of average consumers. The Optimus One’s price tag really drives that point home. The LG Optimus One will be available in over 90 countries via 120 partners and is available in the U.S. now from Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, as the Optimus S, Optimus T and Vortex, respectively. Sprint and T-Mobile’s web sites both have it for free with a 2 year contract while Verizon’s site has it for $79.99 with a two year contract. Even at Verizon’s price, it’s far cheaper than most smartphones without lacking all the goodies. The only negative thing I’ve seen so far is some reports of the battery life not living up to the expectations. Still, if I didn’t have a phone (and a contract) already, this would be a top contender for my Christmas list.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Nielsen Research. All opinions are 100% mine.
Of course, everyone knows about Nielsen Research, by now. For those who don’t know, Nielsen Research has been around for decades, measuring and reporting on what people watch and buy. Now Nielsen is available for your Nokia smartphone… and you’ll get paid to install it!
Get A $100 Nokia Gift Certificate
Nielsen and Nokia have partnered to build a panel of Smart phone enthusiasts that are using a device on the Symbian platform. What this means is that if you have a Nokia smartphone, you can download the Nielsen application and install it and be a part of a panel of people who help to influence the future of Nokia products. Not only do you get to tell Nokia what you want in a smartphone, but every user that installs the application on their Nokia smart phone will earn a Nokia $100 gift certificate after a year. As a business owner, I know the value of feedback and as a consumer, I provide feedback when I can. I know that smart companies will learn from and use that feedback to help make a better product for me. Everyone wins. I only wish every company rewarded me for my input like I’m seeing happen here.
Sadly, because I don’t have a Nokia phone myself, I’m unable to participate, but if you have a Nokia smartphone, you can participate. In fact, I think you should participate because it’s said to be pretty seamless and unobtrusive. Here’s what they say about how it works:
We use an application to measure the normal activity of your phone. Download the application to your smartphone and use it how you normally do -that’s it! The application is undetectable and will not affect your phone’s performance or battery life.
The only thing I would normally be concerned with is privacy, so I took the time to read through the privacy policy and found that while the application sends back data about when you visit web sites, send emails, etc., it does not store any of the stuff I worry about like the contents of emails and texts, picture massages, etc. That concern dissolved, I’d install this on my phone today, if I could.
I’d love to hear from my readers with Nokia smartphones. Will you be participating in this panel?
Yesterday, I received an invitation in the mail to check out another Nokia virtual event, but there weren’t any clues as to what they had in store. I might have correctly guessed I’d get a better look at their C6 smart phone, but I didn’t have to wait long at all to find out.
The media event was scattered with videos like the one above, showing off their new phones and some of the many features offered. Attractive hardware from Nokia is no surprise, but I didn’t expect to be wowed by the C6 as much as I am.
The Nokia C6
The Nokia C6, which is scheduled to hit the market any time in the next couple months, will be running Symbian OS, S60 5.0 and will come packed with a 5 MP digital camera, media player, FM stereo, access to the Ovi store and Ovi music, full QWERTY keyboard, support for all the major email and IM providers, and Facebook integration. One of the features I’m excited about is the additional camera for video calls. The C6 will look great in either of the available colors, black or white and is will be competitively priced at 220 Euro. I can’t wait to get my hands on one for a full review. See for yourself in the promo video above.
The Nokia C3
Priced at 90 Euro, the C3 is for the smart phone buyer who wants to engage with social media but perhaps not quite as avidly as the C6 owner. While the C3 offers the ability to update your status and connect via Ovi Mail and Ovi chat accounts, it doesn’t offer the full-on array of connectivity the C6 boasts. Still, with quick access to your friends’ updates and a full keyboard, staying in touch will be easy. The C3 is also expected out in the next couple months.
The Nokia E5
Just like we saw with the Nokia E75, the E5 offers a great QWERTY keyboard that looks just as easy to navigate for touch typing and a simple array of buttons on the smart phone’s face for getting things done quickly. More business than social, the E5 provides the access to the same full list of email providers as the C6 and includes additional support for Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus NotesTraveler business emails. The E5 supports all the major chat providers, includes a 5MP digital camera, and displays Facebook updates right in the phone book. It may be business driven, but it looks pretty cool. This guy will set you back 180 Euro but you have until Q3 to save up.
