Free smartphone app alerts users of nearby deals

TARGETED advertising has always been the major goal of advertisers, who have to try damn hard these days to grab our attention. Amassing a target audience has lead to abuse in the past, such as the selling of personal information to third parties.

Some may argue that Google's recent private policy changes, whereby a user's Google accounts are all merged together to create one neat profile, is aimed to aid the cause of targeted advertising. If you watch a lot of skateboarding videos on YouTube and email friends about skateboarding via Gmail, you're likely to be targeted with skateboarding adverts.

Some may find this intrusive whereas others may view it as convenient. We all have that one friend who gets everything for so cheap; the one who makes use of Groupon and who always knows where to get a great special or discount on something. If you are that sort of person (or want to be) then there is a smartphone app just for you.

DialMedia Deals is a free smartphone app that has been developed in South Africa by SA company DialMedia. The smartphone application informs subscribers of relevant deals and specials available at major shopping centres around the country. Consumers are able to download the application for free to their smartphones, which runs silently in the background without negatively affecting battery performance.

Download DialMedia Deals Free Smartphone App

DialMedia spokesperson and co-owner Philip Bartholomew explains how the DialMedia Deals app works:

“On entering a mall, using geo-location, the application alerts the customer to nearby available specials which are tailored specifically to the user. Listings are categorised and ranked to easily find the best specials from their favorite stores and restaurants.”

DialMedia Deals allows consumers to always be up to speed on the latest specials, sales, discounts, restaurant specials, promotions and events. The service is regularly updated by store owners in shopping centres, who have the flexibility to change deal details on a daily basis.

“The DialMedia Deals app is already available on Apple’s App Store, BlackBerry’s App World, as well as on Android Marketplace. It may very well be the one app that can save consumers money without it costing them a cent”, says Bartholomew.

He added that the application does not monitor or record the location of the user; rather, the app is alerted when the user is in the vicinity of a relevant special. DialMedia state that no information is shared with outside parties (including DialMedia itself).

If you are the type of person who is willing to be paid to listen to adverts, then the rebate feature of the DialMedia Deals application will interest you. This allows you to save on mobile bills by getting paid rebates for hearing an audio ad before your call connects.

For more information, visit www.dialmedia.co.za

REVIEW: Introducing the Samsung Galaxy Note

IF there is one thing I can say about Samsung, it's that they continue to impress me with their screen technology. I watched a video recently where someone tried to scratch their Samsung smartphone screen with a penknife (violently), which left behind very little carnage.  

The new Galaxy Note smartphone (launched this year) features the world’s first and the largest 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display. This is an expansive high-resolution screen, which is currently the largest screen size available with smartphone portability. The Galaxy Note was designed to combine core on-the-go benefits of various mobile devices while maintaining smartphone portability.

The HD Super AMOLED display offers quality viewing experiences for video, photo, documents, webpages, apps and e-books. The blacks are deep and the colours bright. The superior screen also offers a 180 degree viewing angle, allowing contents to be viewed and shared comfortably from all angles. It is also great for showcasing high resolution PowerPoint presentations and the screen is large enough to allow split-screen operation, which handles well thanks to its 1.4GHz dual-core processor.

"The artistic freedom of a paper notebook is coupled with the benefits of Samsung’s smartphone technology and services, allowing users to create, edit and share with more style than ever before," says JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business.

Samsung plans to release the S Pen SDK soon which will allow app developers to create new applications and services incorporating the pen functionality. Samsung has also included S Planner - a smart, professional planning tool that makes full use of the device’s large screen. The management planner integrates the phone’s To-Do list and schedule.

The Galaxy Note also features S Memo - a multimedia application designed to record all forms of user-created content. Pictures, voice recordings, typed text, handwritten notes or drawings can all be captured via a single application and converted to a 'memo', to be edited, annotated and shared as desired.

A good smartphone wouldn't be as such without good connections into the online world. Fast network speeds are enabled through the HSPA+ and LTE-enabled connection. This allows users to stream videos in real-time or engage with their friends through online gaming platforms.

This article has been sponsored by Samsung.

SAMSUNG DIVE: Samsung gets smart with mobile security

AS Smartphones become ever increasingly sophisticated, more and more personal information is stored on them, and the loss of a phone can be far more than just an inconvenience. It is with this in mind that Samsung has launched Samsung Dive – an online access portal to address the security issues associated with a mobile lifestyle.

“If you’ve ever lost your phone, you’ll know it can be very frustrating and more importantly, it can be a huge security risk. We have responded to the security needs of our consumers as the Samsung Dive service will provide peace of mind by allowing you to not only see the details of your phone via the Internet, but where you last used it, and if you have lost it or it was stolen, you can wipe your personal information off the device.” - Paulo Ferreira, Head of Product and Software Solutions at Samsung.

Samsung Dive is in essence a free security assistant. When your device is lost you can lock your device via Samsung Dive and with the Mobile Tracker service you will be able to lock, wipe or see the location of your phone. Key elements include:

• Ring my Phone feature: This service will use the Internet to send a message to the phone to ring and initiate a call whether the phone is on or off.
• Receive notification when the SIM card is changed: You can be notified when the SIM is changed in the case that someone uses your phone illegally.
• Remotely lock your phone: You can lock your phone to prevent people from using it and accessing your personal information.
• Remotely wipe your phone: If you lose your phone and it hasn't been returned, you can initiate a remote wipe to protect your privacy.
• Receive the location of your phone: To help you find your phone, the service will show the last location of your phone on Google Maps.

In addition to the above, Samsung Dive allows for the ability to pull up call logs remotely. This is certainly a practical function for parents as it allows them to monitor their child’s cellphone and stay in contact. If your child is out and isn’t answering, for example, not only can your track the phone, but you can also pull up the call logs and dial the last person they were in contact with.

• Note: The Samsung Dive application is only available for the Samsung Galaxy SII (which will be officially launched locally within the next quarter) and the Samsung Wave II (locally available in-store). Further models will become available at a later stage. Samsung will keep you updated as to these additions.

- Published on behalf of Samsung and Orange Ink.

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APPSOLUTELY FABULOUS: A pick of some of the best smartphone apps

IF you have a cellphone contract and recently got an upgrade, you’re likely to be in possession of a smartphone. A smartphone is basically any cellphone that has a complete operating system and is able to connect to the Internet and other devices wirelessly. To put it simply, a smartphone can be thought of as a handheld computer.

A fully functioning operating system allows users to install and run more advanced applications. It also provides a platform for application developers to create apps. There are now thousands of smartphone applications available across cellphone networks and brands — some free and others available for purchase. The Apple iPhone App Store alone boasts over 200 000 download-able apps. Many of them are utter rubbish, but there are a few gems among the rough that may be worth downloading.

Apps have become the building blocks for making your smartphone unique and range from travelling guides to learning how to do yoga. Also remember that there are several applications that do the same thing (some better than others), but this also means that an appealing application that appears to be exclusive to the iPhone, for example, may be found for your particular smartphone brand under a different name. What follows is a few particularly interesting and potentially useful smartphone apps.

Application: eSkyGuide
Platforms: Blackberry and iPhone
Cost: $5 (roughly R35) per year

This traveler’s app allows you to look up flight schedules, airport codes and other critical travel information straight from your smartphone. This particular version also lists phone numbers for airlines, hotels, international emergency numbers and car rental services.

Application: GoodFood
Platforms: Blackberry, iPhone and others
Cost: Free!

The GoodFood app is a popular restaurant guide for smartphone users. Using your smartphone’s built-in GPS, GoodFood automatically locates your position and shows nearby restaurants. It also displays the ratings for each restaurant submitted by other users of the app. “Find one with a high score, enjoy your meal and post your own rating to share with fellow travelers. – goodrec.com

Application: The Essential Garden Guide
Platforms: Multiple platforms (also available for iPad)
Cost: $0.99 (about R7)

The Essential Garden Guide app is a comprehensive guide that covers everything you might need to know to start your very own garden of abundant produce. The app has been created from a collection of 15 years worth of contributions from renowned agricultural. It includes basics such as soil preparation as well as extensive information on all types of fruits and vegetables.

Application: Fuel Saver
Platforms: Available on multiple platforms
Cost: Generally free

There are several fuel saving applications available for different smartphones that all aim to help users prevent wasting petrol. This particular version uses your phone’s accelerometer to sense when drivers are speeding, accelerating or braking too hard and other bad driving behaviour that uses excessive petrol. The app emits a series of beeps when bad driving is detected and is aimed to teach users how to drive in the most fuel-efficient manner.

Application: Anti-mosquito
Platforms: Samsung Wave and others
Cost: R11 (for Samsung Wave)

This app supports the belief that certain sonic frequencies repel blood-hungry insects such as mosquitoes. Also known as “Sonic Insect Repeller”, this app turns your smartphone into an insect reflector that is claimed to be effective, chemical-free and safe to use around children and pets.

Application: Flashlight
Platforms: Available on multiple platforms
Cost: R11 (for Samsung Wave)

A handy little app that could help you find your way in the dark or get you out of any Blairwitch Project situation. Flashlight apps work by allowing you to switch your camera’s flashlight on for as long as you need or emits a strong beam of light from your entire screen. Very useful for finding lost keys in the dark or signaling for an emergency.

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GEOTAGGING: Internet safety and online privacy

THE Internet and privacy have been major concerns in the past decade — and rightly so. Facebook alone has been caught up in several court cases in the past few years, which has seen the service making major revisions to their privacy policies.

Facebook aside, several of the latest gadgets on the market today automatically make use of geotagging. This infuses media such as photographs with location-based information or metadata, which is perhaps the bigger concern when it comes to privacy and security online.

What is geotagging?

The following definition of geotagging is taken from the official homepage of the U.S. army, which is trying to discourage troopers from using social media services and risk compromising their positions.

“Geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification to photographs, video, websites and SMS messages. It is the equivalent of adding a 10-digit grid co-ordinate to everything you post on the Internet.” - www.army.mil

iPhones, iPads, smartphones with built-in GPS, and several other devices automatically create such metadata when content is shared or posted on the Internet. Smartphones in particular automatically embed geotags in pictures taken — often with users being unaware.

Social networking services, on the other hand, are being forced to be a lot clearer when it comes to geotagging photos and videos in particular when posting them on the Internet. Photo sharing sites such as Flickr and Picasa for example, offer geotagging options, but this is not an automatic function.

The fear is that tagging photos or videos­ with an exact location on the Internet allows random people to track an person’s location and movement patterns.

Understand what you're using

It is therefore important to understand the characteristics of any hi-tech device you might own. Study its manual to determine how to switch off GPS functions. This is, of course, if you fear for your own safety.

Perhaps the real concern involves parents of teenage children. There is a prevalent belief that pedophiles living in basements scan the Internet on a daily basis and use such services to find their next victims. It would be foolish to think that such people don’t exist, but it would also be a shame if technology was avoided altogether because of a fear of them.

The bottom line is to practise being a savvy and cautious Internet user and teach such practices to your children. Social networking is all about bringing people together and sharing experiences with family and friends. It has also been used to successfully capture criminals online. Good measures are already in place to keep things private and secure and are being continuously improved. The choice to behave in a relatively risk-free and secure manner online lies entirely in the hands of the user.

Geotagging, the Internet & online privacy: final thoughts

As soon as you sign up for a Google account or join a social networking site or service, you immediately begin building an online track record. Deciding who you connect with, and what information you choose to supply online, will determine who gets to learn what about you.

If you use services such as Gmail, Twitter or Facebook, look under your “settings” tabs to access and edit privacy options.

Of course there are risks of genuine breaches to private information; but, if you have nothing to hide and are savvy and cautious­ when online, the chances of geotagged media seriously harming you or your family are about the same as being struck by lightning.

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