Archive for May, 2010



An iPhone App that Pays YOU

May 26th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Technology | No Comments »

It seems far-fetched.  A FREE Apple iPhone application that pays you.

It’s called Field Agent – and if you don’t have it, get it.

While it’s not going to make you millions – or even thousands – Field Agent will put a few bucks in your pocket by giving you access to odd jobs in and around your neighborhood.

When I say odd jobs, I mean simple tasks like collecting retail pricing and display information, event images, photos of items for sale and consumer surveys.

Complete the jobs, earn real money!

The Field Agent software uses the iPhone’s built-in tools to provide clients with information including agent history, GPS location, time and date stamps, and photo confirmations. Payments can range from $3- to-$8, depending on the job’s degree of difficulty. Clients, in turn, can rate agents for their reliability and accuracy.

Field Agent requires iPhone OS 3.1 or later and is compatible with iPod Touch – even the iPad.

I’d love to say Field Agent is unique to the recession-friendly outsourcing market – but it isn’t. There are other sites just like it on Internet – oDesk, CloudCrowd, and Fiverr just to name a few. But, Field Agent is the first application of its kind. And, one a lot of people will be using.

Will Field Agent replace your full-time 9-to-5 job?

No.

But the app will give you a little walking around money – and that’s something everyone could use.

 Tags: , , ,

Thoughts (and Apps) on Facebook Privacy

May 19th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Technology | No Comments »

Facebook privacy has been hot topic in recent weeks. Privacy advocates are freaked over Facebook’s latest modifications which make a huge chunk of profile content public by default.

People on Facebook feel vulnerable and unprotected – or so I’ve heard.

I’m NOT one of these people.

Why?

Because instead of sitting back complaining about how my personal profile information is being compromised on Facebook, I got proactive. I did something to protect myself.

I went in and CHANGED MY PRIVACY SETTINGS all by myself! Yep, I did.

It’s not difficult. I read through each line and checked the appropriate box that is right for me and my account.

Why aren’t other people doing this? READ people, it’s not hard!

But, as annoyed as I am about the laziness I see among my Facebook comrades, I will cut these people a little slack. Execs have felt the need to repeatedly change the Facebook privacy policy – and to the site’s benefit I might add. Throw the settings that you approved more than a year ago out the window; they mean something totally different now.

The crux is that Facebook is trying to spread its brand across the Internet and despite its repeated reassurances, the site is doing this at the expense of its users.

All around… it’s annoying.

Thankfully, amid this mess, third-party app developers were on the ball.

Two new applications now make it easy to understand and reset Facebook privacy settings.

A firewall and spam filter company called Untangle has launched a tool called SaveFace, which takes the form of a browser bookmark utility and sets as many Facebook profile elements as it can–contact information, friend lists and connections, wall posts–to “friends only.” There’s also ReclaimPrivacy.org, which scans a Facebook member’s privacy settings, flags profile elements that may be unexpectedly public, and, like SaveFace, can reset them. Both applications are open source.

These apps will, no doubt, come to the rescue of a lot of people who refuse to take the time to be proactive and figure out their privacy settings themselves.

But it’s only a matter of time before Facebook decides to change its privacy policy again, perhaps barring third-party apps from messing with security and profile settings.

THEN what will people do?

I can’t fathom it.

 Tags: , , , ,

NYT Gives Us ‘Moment In Time’

May 12th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Technology | No Comments »

I’m a closet sociology buff. I love to learn about human behavior, religion, culture – so when this popped up at the New York Times blog, well I simply dropped everything to have a look.

It’s called a Moment in Time - and explaining it just doesn’t do it justice. But, I’ll try.

What you’ll see is Earth – our beautiful planet – covered by stacks of virtual photographs corresponding in location to where they were taken by readers at one “moment in time.”

Great concept. Brilliant display.

Spin the globe in any direction to get where you want to go. Click on a stack and the top photo will open, giving the photographer’s name or pseudonym (if supplied) and a brief caption (again, if supplied).

Another click will send that picture to the bottom of the stack so the next one can open. The height of the stacks reflects the number of submissions from any given area.

Note the pull-down menu in the upper left corner. Pictures can be searched by topic — community, arts and entertainment, family, money and the economy, nature and the environment, play, religion, social issues or work.

Let’s say you find a really cool picture. You can:

- Share it, or recommend it, to a friend or another reader.

- Come back to it by saving the picture’s URL. Each image is assigned its own URL which is displayed in the address bar in your browser. Make sure you copy and paste it. For instance, the URL for the picture of this South African boy is http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/blogs/a-moment-in-time.html#/4bdeb3b9e55ae53a2e00020a

SOUTH AFRICA (Okhahlamba Rural): “It’s 5 p.m. in South Africa — half an hour until the sunset. This boy was still so cheerful after a long day out in the fields, looking after the cattle.”

SOUTH AFRICA (Okhahlamba Rural): “It’s 5 p.m. in South Africa — half an hour until the sunset. This boy was still so cheerful after a long day out in the fields, looking after the cattle.”

The interactive mosaic moves a little slow, but once you get it going, you’ll want to do what NYT suggests…. “make no plans for the rest of the day.”

This display will no doubt warm your heart – as it did for me. It also serves as a reminder that our planet is not filled with terror and hate, but with billions of souls who are just living life – like you and me.

The world is a brilliantly beautiful place – and one that I’d love to see every square inch of – literally. But since I can’t – a Moment in Time is perhaps the next best thing.

Oh, did I mention the other brilliant feature?

It’s FREE!

Quite unheard of at NYT.

Click to launch a Moment in Time. Have patience. It’ll load.

 Tags: , , , ,

LogMeIn Gives the iPad an Edge

May 5th, 2010 by Erin Posted in Software Development | No Comments »

Hey iPad users, want to know how to access your desktop computer from your brand new iPad?

There’s a remote for that.

You can actually sit down, power up, and access your desktop computer files and programs, even create documents – all from your iPad!

It’s the brainchild of Massachusetts-based LogMeIn Inc. which offers the remote control software for iPads AND iPhones.

Two big requirements of LogMeIn Ignition:

- You must leave the remote computer switched on to gain access to it.

- The remote computer needs a copy of the LogMeIn software.

You can download a FREE trial version for either PCs or Macs from LogMeIn or you can invest in a fancier version ($39.95/yr) that will give  you a lot more remote control, like the ability to download files from the remote machine to your iPad.

Whichever edition you choose, you will have the ability to run your main desktop computer remotely – as if you were siting right in front of it.

Considering all of the MAJOR LIMITATIONS the iPad packs, LogMeIn Ignition is sure to be a lifesaver for many folks. For instance, the remote actually simulates the PC experience on an iPad. It also liberates users from having to only run those programs available through Apple’s online App Store.

Need access to IBM’s Lotus Notes? Flip on LogMeIn Ignition and run the copy remotely.

As dreamy as all of this sounds, remote access has some drawbacks. The iPad’s lack of mouse and true keyboard make fast-paced personal computing a bit difficult. Plus, the process is slow. Every move you make must travel over the Internet to the remote machine, and you must wait for its response.

Still, LogMeIn Ignition works – and it could make the tablet a little more viable in the business market…

… and, a little less like a glorified iPhone.

 Tags: , , ,