Thursday, May 17, 2012

Keeping Kids Safe this Summer with Smartphone Apps



Summer is only a few weeks away, and while kids are ready to spend long days playing outside with their friends, parents are trying to arrange activities to keep them busy and safe.  Between scheduling summer camps and play dates, parents can ensure their child is safe throughout summer by taking the time to install smartphone applications to their child’s phone. From helpful location-tracking applications to caller ID, a smartphone can keep kids in touch with parents and out of trouble. Just in time for summer, we have the latest tips for parents to keep their kids safe this summer.

1.      GPS Tracking: Parents can keep an eye on adventurous children by installing GPS tracking applications on their child’s smartphone. Kids can travel safely around town without worrying about an overprotective parent accompanying them to every activity while on-the-go parents can remain focused at work or at home without second guessing their child’s location.
2.       Weather Applications: Summertime brings warm temperatures, unexpected thunderstorms and high exposure to the sun. Kids who aren’t prepared for excessive sun exposure or occasional storms can be caught in situations that compromise their health. Installing a weather application on your child’s phone can help them stay on top of the weather in your area. Plus, push-notifications allow kids to know if a storm is moving their way without ever checking the application.
3.       Privacy Applications: Whether they are wandering the mall with friends or hanging out at the local park, kids will exchange phone numbers with plenty of people this summer. Sometimes new acquaintances lead to great friendships, other times they lead to inappropriate text messages or random callers. Parents can install an entire line of caller ID applications that monitor who is calling or texting their child. If a child is of driving age, Text ID and Voice Cue applications announce the name of the person trying to contact them. Either way, parents can rest assured that their child is safe with privacy applications installed on their phone.

 To maximize summer fun for kids, remember to apply lots of sunscreen, wear a hat and eat lots of popsicles! 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Missed Call, Missed Opportunity

Everyday, smartphone owners receive hundreds of text messages and phone calls, some from people in their contact list and some from people whose numbers aren't yet in their phone. For Lauren, Jason and Coach Ted a missed call and/or text message turned into a missed opportunity. Find out what happened to each individual in our latest video series. Tell us, which one is your favorite?




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Three Must-have Fitness Apps


            
With warmer weather and long days at the pool just around the corner, it’s time to get bikini-body ready. But when fitness advice seems to be all over the Web, it can difficult to know exactly where to begin your workout regimen. Since we know you always have your smartphone on you, we’re making it simple and sharing three of our favorite fitness applications. If you’re consistent and use the social settings to share your workouts with your friends, you will be ready for the pool in no time!
  • Nike Training Club: This is one of our favorite applications because it’s practically a personal trainer. Users select which goal they want to achieve: lean, toned, strong or focused. With each goal, users can then select a level: beginner, intermediate or advanced. The app breaks down each workout move by its name, how many reps or the length of time you need to do the move. It’s easy to use and free! We highly recommend for users who have access to an iPhone or iTouch. Nike hasn’t created an application for Android owners, yet.
  • MyFitnessPal: This app is gaining more popularity among smartphone users. It’s a food diary that calculates how many calories a user needs to consume in order to lose or gain weight. It breaks down how many calories you’re allotted for that day based on the information you enter. If you have trouble remembering exactly what you ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner you can enter it online or on your smartphone before or after your eat. In addition to the food diary, users can enter the amount of time spent doing cardio or strength training. The app also has an optional social setting so users can share their diet with friends. MyFitnessPal is available for iOS and Android operating systems.
  •  MapMyFitness: One of the coolest applications on the market for outdoor lovers is MapMyFitness. Whether you like to bike, walk or run, this app loads nearby trails, tracks your time, updates you on your overall progress and keeps your pace. Plus, users can share their location with friends! If you’ve been dying to spend time in the sun and enjoy local trails, this is the app for you!
We hope that you enjoy these apps as much as we do. Leave us a comment about your favorite fitness app and remember to have a happy summer!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Pinning our Interests



We’re excited to announce we’ve joined Pinterest! If you haven’t visited the latest social media site, you’re missing out on some great recipes, fun apps, cute clothes, home goods things. Here’s a peek at what we’re pinning. 
  • Phones: You’ll find fun phones, infographics, funny quotes and the latest gear for your smartphone on this board. Right now, we’re loving the Dr. Dre’s Beats pin.
  • Safety Tips: Safety is one our top concerns, and we’re proving it with our “Safety Tips” board. Stop by and you’ll see tips on everything from traveling with your smartphone to keeping kids safe in the cyber world.      
  • App Hotspot: We’re sharing the coolest apps with our fans. Duh. In fact, we’ve got the newest apps for fitness-gurus, kids and busy businessmen and women. Have an app you love? Pin it and tag us [at]privusmobile!
  • Vintage: We’ve all seen Grandma’s old dial phone—there’s something about the spin dial that makes us want to call new friends all day! Anyway, we’re always looking for items of nostalgia, so send us some ideas.     
  • Tech Tips: Wet smartphone? Dirty smartphone? Data-demanding smartphone? Our “Tech Tips” board has all insider information from the experts on how to keep your iPhone or Android phone as clean and well-kept as the day you bought it. 

 Can’t wait to pin with you!