Application of the Day: FastMall

I came across an interesting application called FastMall

“FastMall was created by a team of passionate shoppers, parents, developers, engineers, visionaries and bathroom-goers who are dedicated to making it the best mobile platform for offline shopping navigation in the history of mankind. The idea originally came from President/CEO Sam Feuer’s wife, Amie, who was completely fed up with static mall directories and the overall lack of restroom guidance. Up until now, there has been no interactive guidance to the restroom, stores or food court without asking 14 people who are also walking in circles.”

FastMall team are currently working on iPhone apps to add interactive maps for several other venues besides shopping malls (hospitals, airports, convention centers, etc.)

Specification:

• you can navigate any mall map without the need of GPS or Wi-Fi. Once you download any mall map you can get interactive navigation even without an internet connection
• share your smartphone for the nearest restroom
• tell your FastMall app where you parked and it will remember for you
• turn-by-turn guidance inside the mall, from store to store
• sync your status on Facebook and Twitter
• make a wish list of things you must have
• add reviews of restrooms, restaurants and stores
• and more

Availability:

• iOS – iTunes.com
• Android – GooglePlay

 

Gadget of the Day: Bluetooth speaker

CommBadge looks like a “Star Trek” communicator. It’s a Bluetooth speaker for iPhone and Android smartphones.

Application of the Day: Outside

Mobile application for today: Outside – Visual Weather Forecast

I know there are many weather mobile applications but this one is worth mentioning. New and fresh approach to providing weather information (interesting fun graphics).

Specifications:

• combines cutter weather and local forecasts with custom push notifications
• swipe to see the forecast or setup and receive alerts when the weather is just right
• visual representation of the weather condition. Each weather condition is color coded for easy recognition with a single glance
• manually update weather by shaking the device
• use your GPS to easily search to change your location

Availability:

• iOS – iTunes.com ($2.99)

 

 

iPhone 5 Case [video]

Do you need new iPhone 5 case? check this one:

Is Your Password Strong Enough?

Do you have a Facebook profile, an email account, do you check your bank account online? If yes, then you have to remember your passwords. It’s important to keep your passwords strong and update them once in a while.

Here is a list of the worst passwords (for more please check the Gizmodo article: “The 25 Most Popular Passwords of 2012”):

• password
• 123456
• 12345678
• abc123
• qwerty
• monkey
• letmein
• dragon

Here are just few examples from the list. As you can see those passwords are very easy to hacked. What should you do?

• keep your password strong and long: at least 8 characters (upper, lower letters + numbers + additional characters).  e.g.: “Ex9!kEpB?#12Sa”
• update your passwords from time to time
• use different passwords for different accounts
• think about using password manager application: there are several password manager applications available, here are few: LastPass, 1Password, mSecure, SplashID safe

Here is a password manager applications review by TopTenReviews

Application of the Day

Facebook Messenger is a well known application but just recently there is a new feature available – you can call friends for free right from Facebook Messenger.

Specifications:

• chat with a friend or group for free
• send voice messages, photos
• get notifications
• know who’s seen your messages
• include your location
• call friends for free (free calling uses your existing data plan, and will be rolling out over the next few weeks)

Availability:

• iOS – iTunes.com
• Android – GooglePlay

Need Laptop?

Cnet.com just published a short list of recommended mid-size laptops (14, 15, 16-inch screens) – useful list for those who need to get a new one.

• Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Price (amazon.com): $2,049.99
• Acer Aspire M5-481PT. Price (amazon.com): $762.60
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch Ultrabook Intel Core i5-3427U. Price (amazon.com): $1,279
• Dell Inspiron 14z. Price (amazon.com): $599.00 –  $899.00
• Dell XPS 14. Price (amazon.com): $1,499
• HP Envy TouchSmart Ultrabook 4. Price (amazon.com): $799.99

 

Facebook Graph Search

Facebook announced new feature – Graph Search. A new way of searching on Facebook.

More information – check the Mashable.com article: “What Facebook’s New Graph Search Means for Your Privacy”  and “Hands On With Facebook’s Graph Search”.

Facebook Graph Search can be used for search for something simple like “Photos of my friends” or something more complex like “Photos of my friends before 1990 uploaded by my mom”.

 

iPhone 5(S) ?

…no it’s not available yet but people are talking about iPhone 5S

The latest iPhone rumors: DigiTimes reports that Apple is working on bringing a lower-priced iPhone to market later this year that will include a much larger display.

According to survey created by 451Research service suggests that Samsung and Apple will continue to dominate the USA smartphone market in 2013.

A survey taken just after the iPhone 5 debuted in September:

71% of respondents would choose an Apple smartphone, versus 13% for Samsung. (source: 451Research)

…but at the same time:

Consumer buying intent for Samsung smartphones has been extraordinary to start the year. Considering the Galaxy S III has been out for several months we’d normally expect a slowdown by now – but it’s still red hot (source: 451Research)

 

 

 

Mobile Application of the Day

Mobile application of the day: FlightAware Flight Tracker

Specifications:

• free application
• live flight tracker and flight status application
• allows you to track the real-time flight status and see the live map flight track of any commercial flight worldwide and general aviation (private, charter, etc.) in the United States and Canada
• track by aircraft registration, route, airline, flight number, city pair, or airport code. Tracking data includes complete flight details and full-screen maps
• receive real-time notification flight alerts, view airport delays, see nearby flights (in the sky overhead)

Availability:

• iOS – iTunes.com
• Android – GooglePlay