CrimePush app helps you report crime, but it’s still in beta
by Leigh Goessl (Guest contributor/Digital Journalist)
After being held at gunpoint on the streets of Washington, Shayan Pahlevani decided to take action. Using smartphone-app technology, Pahlevani came up with a solution to help people easily report crimes with the push of a button.
Pahlevani’s mobile solution, called CrimePush, became available on Feb. 1 on iTunes and is currently in beta. According to Forbes, CrimePush puts crime reporting in the hands of users and allows people to rapidly report the details of the crime to authorities.
The app is devised to report a crime it occurs, and witnesses can send authorities texts, photos, sound and video.Additionally, the app is said to be designed to report crimes anonymously. The concept behind the app is to allow individuals to empower themselves and help facilitate reporting crimes to law enforcement officials.
“There are often tense situations when calling the police is not an option. There are other times when inconvenience or fear of reprisal prevents one from reporting an incident,” said co-founder, Eman Pahlevani. “Featuring the ability to take a photo, record video and audio, and provide a description of the incident, citizens can now be assured that their phone has the capability to alert family, friends, and the authorities at the push of a button, should a threat arise.”
The company says this app will enable people to swiftly report crimes rather than ignore them. An example used by the company was a situation where individuals witness crimes, but do not stop and take the time to report what was observed. Or, according to the CrimePush makers, “there are other times when personal security is at stake and there is no discreet method of alert.”
Using high school and college students as an example, CrimePush says this app is useful for students coming home late at night, or victimized by hazing, drug use or bullying
.“Opening a new channel via a mobile application, youth populations will be more motivated to provide crime tips and informants will have better tools utilizing a phone’s built-in technology to capture audio, image, or video evidence,” Pahlevani said.
It appears there are mixed feelings about the app between would-be users and police.In Missouri, the St. Peters Police Department tested out the app and, according to KMOV, the results received were not what was “expected.”
“When our dispatcher downloaded the app and she entered in a complaint and pressed ‘send,’ it got lost in cyberspace somewhere,” Melissa Doss, St. Peters Police Department official, said. “There’s a connection missing and I want residents to know that this is not an app to use yet, to report any type of crime because help will not come to you.”
“I’m a big fan of its simplicity and definitely feel safer knowing that there’s a faster way to get crime reported,” said Mameeza Hossain. “It not only strengthens me, but makes me feel a lot more secure,” told WJLA.
It’s not yet as fast as dialing 9-1-1, however the app’s developers say this will be addressed as the company integrates the service with police departments. The St. Peters Police Department indicated they liked the idea, but feel “it is not ready for people to rely on.”
Currently dialing 9-1-1 is the most efficient way to report, say police.
Users placed warnings on the iTunes app’s page because the app is not fully integrated with police departments. One reviewer said, “Good idea, reckless execution.” Others warned not to use the app since it is not functional.
CrimePush has added a disclaimer stating the app is not yet fully operational and makes a plea for users’ help to make this happen. The statement also says:”By downloading this application, you understand and agree to these terms: The CrimePush application is NOT linked, NOR connected to any police, medical, or law-enforcement authority as of yet. By using this application at this time, you will not be assisted for any and all emergencies or crime-reports submitted. NO police department, medical emergency unit, or law enforcement agency will receive a distress message from this application. This is a Beta version that should ONLY be used by potential partners or clients to TEST the utility and user-friendliness of the application. should an emergency arise, you should dial 911.”
CrimePush plans to partner with high schools, law enforcement agencies, colleges and international mobile carries.CrimePush is patent pending, and the free app can currently be downloaded on Android’s Marketplace and the iTunes store. Just keep in mind, the app is in beta and not going to work properly at this time.
This article originally appeared on Digital Journal [Link]
On mobile devices, most people get news from social media, not apps
A new survey found most smartphone users tend to get their news fix from social media surfing rather than from dedicated news apps, according to Flurry Analytics.
U.S. mobile or tablet application users spend around 30 percent of their time social networking, while most play games (at 49 percent). News apps capture only 6 percent of total time on mobile apps, the data says.
The press release adds, “Further considering that Flurry does not track Facebook usage, the Social Networking category is actually larger.”
A Poynter article reminds us why people clamor to news apps in the first place: They are catered to the most-loyal fraction of a news outlet’s established audience, and may also get them to pay for content.
“The app fulfills those readers so dedicated to your brand that they want on-demand access to a comprehensive bundle of your content. These people who value your content most also are most likely to pay for it, and the app stores make those payments and subscriptions easier,” the author says.
The report also looked at time consumption. “The growth in time spent in mobile applications is slowing – from above 23% between December 2010 and June 2011 this year to a little over 15% from June 2011 to December 2011,” Flurry states.
Flurry accounted for its data by tracking anonymous sessions across more than 140,000 applications.
News applications are still popular with some smartphone lovers. A Nielsen study found 33 percent of consumers downloaded news apps during the past month. The study also found 51 percent of consumers “are more tolerant of in-app advertising if it means they can access content for free.”
Facebook iPad app sparks drama
by Stephanie Medeiros (Guest Contributor/Digital Journalist)
An official app for Facebook on the iPad has been long awaited, and it seems it was accidentally discovered around two months ago. However, the app might finally be released.
It was recently discovered the former developer of the iPad app for Facebook brought the iPad version to near completion and it has been ready for release since May, but was delayed all through summer by Facebook.
In fact, tech blog TechCrunch found the app embedded in lines of code for the iPhone app.TechCrunch reports on the issue, as the former developer expressed his side of the story on his blog. The developer, Jeff Verkoeyen, eventually left Facebook for Google but claims it was unrelated to the delays with the app.
“It is now nearly 5 months since the app was feature complete and I haven’t seen it released except for when the project was leaked on Techcrunch,” writes Verkoeyen on his blog. “Needless to say this was a frustrating experience for me.”
It has been reported that Verkoeyen worked on the iPad app tirelessly, clocking in even 80-hour work weeks.However, Verkoeyen reached out to TechCrunch and explained he was not complaining about the long work hours or the delays, since he enjoyed his time with Facebook. Instead, he mentions that the iPad app is still being worked on and is not completely ready to be released.
While Google and Facebook seem to have sizable competition between them, most of the delay seems to stem from the competition between Apple and Facebook, according to TechCrunch.Apple’s relatively low-key music centric social network, Ping, was originally going to integrate with Facebook until Apple decided to cut off the project from Facebook.
Also, in another strain on the Apple-Facebook relationship, Apple instead went with Twitter with full integration in iOS 5.Regardless, Verkoeyen confirmed that the app is still being worked on and even Mashable saysit has confirmed that the iPad app will be launched on October 4, which is reported to be the launch conference for the long-awaited iPhone 5.
Despite the competition between Apple and Facebook and an unfavorable past, the two tech giants seem to be taking strides in order to work together on an HTML-5 initiative as well as releasing the iPad app.
When the iPad was first released, Mark Zuckerberg was infamously quoted in November 2010 that the iPad was “not mobile,” but instead a computer, which spurred much buzz that Zuckerberg wouldn’t be releasing any official Facebook app on the popular tablet.
This article originally appeared on Digital Journal [Link]
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Watch out for malware hidden in Android apps
As much as Google’s Android Market has been lauded for its near instantaneous approval of developers’ apps, it’s now taking flak for malware-infected apps popping up in the service. Google recently removed at least 10 applications from its Android Market because they all had malicious code disguised as add-ons to one of the most popular apps of all time.
The Angry Birds app, for instance, include “a spyware program called Plankton, which connects to a remote server and uploads phone information like the IMEI number, browser bookmarks and browsing history,” Wired reports.
Webroot analysts Andrew Brandt and Armando Orozco investigated Plankton and found how its file names could confuse users. “Some of the samples we looked at came as Android apps with names like Angry Birds Rio Unlocker v1.0, Angry Birds Multi User v1.00 or Angry Birds Cheater Trainer Helper V2.0,” they wrote in a blog post.
When you install the malware-infected apps, the following message appears: “Welcome! Simply click on the button below to unlock ALL levels in Angry Birds Rio. This will not delete your scores but might change the number of pineapples and bananas you have.”
The installed code then gives remote access to the malware creator, whose identity remains unknown.
The analysts said users should be smart about what they download. “Android users can protect themselves by using a little common sense when they download apps: Does the app sound like what it promises to do is too good to be true? Does it ask for all kinds of permissions that it shouldn’t need to fulfill its mission? Did you get it from the official Market or a legitimate app store such as Amazon, or from some random app collection?”
The malware found in these Android apps raise a troubling question for Google. Its Android Market wins praise for not having months-long waiting periods for apps to be available to users, unlike Apple’s App Store. “However, the Android Market’s app submission process comes at a cost. Google’s lack of vetting applications lends the Market to security vulnerabilities like these,” Wired writes. “Google mostly relies on a self-policing community…to spot offending apps, which means malware can sit in the market for months before someone spots it.”
Google has faced this problem before. In March, users reportedly downloaded as many as 200,000 of the free apps infected with malware before Google pulled them from the Market.
Review: Postagram an intuitive simple way to send iPhone photos as postcards
Say you got some great photos on your smartphone. You enjoy posting them on Twitter, Facebook, sending them as email attachments. But what if you want to go retro and send a pic as a postcard. Sounds ludicrous and difficult, right?
Nope. Now there’s a new iPhone app called Postagram, which lets you send photos straight from your phone to any address in North America. You can send the photos as greeting cards complete with a custom message. Each photo you send to an address will cost you $1.
Here’s the catch: you need an Instagram account because Postagram only recognizes pics you posted on that app. Instagram is a Flickr-type iPhone app allowing you to share pics with friends, adding filters and captions quite easily. Available free, Instagram has become a viral hit, attracting more than 3 million members.
It’s a pain for some users to have to be part of Instagram to use Postagram, so I can see that being a major roadblock to winning over skeptics and iPhone newbies.
I tried out the app, since I’m an Instagram user. I chose a photo of my father and aunt, and with Postagram easily inputted the address and name details. A custom message let my dad know the postcard was offering a personal touch. I added my credit card info, clicked SEND and within seconds I got an email confirming the postcard of my pic was being sent to the address.
It’s important to note the photo you use should be cropped to fit the 3 inch by 3 inch pop-out form used in Postagram postcards. You can crop it on Instagram before using the pic for Postagram. In around 8 days, my parents received the postcard and they gushed over the quality (and surprise) of the photo. All for $1. And I could do the same with a postcard being sent to the US. Doesn’t it even cost more than that to mail something to the States from Canada?
I can picture myself getting addicted to this app. For only $1, I can send my poetry friends pics of themselves rockin’ the mic, or I can send my work a pic of us at our Future of Media event. But I know I’ll soon be asking myself, “Why does the world need postcards, in the age of Flickr and Facebook?” There’s something powerful about holding a real photo and perhaps framing it above the mantle; online pics might be more convenient, but they don’t carry that same value, that tactile feel.
Have you tried Postagram or similar apps? What do you think?
This article was previously posted on DigitalJournal.com
Photo courtesy Rochelle Silverberg