If you are a frequent Wireless@SG user and gets frustrated with the tedious login process, look no further with this new app from Ong Junda – SG Wireless. It will save you time and much frustration when you need to be connected.
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PhoneSCREAM (“iTunes Link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303078448&mt=8) is the “first”:http://bak2u.com/phonebak.php of hopefully more anti-theft app from Singapore company “BAK2U”:http://bak2u.com/. The company develops anti-theft software for many mobile phones and laptops that can help increase your chances of retrieving your missing gadgets if you have their software installed.
Bak2U’s PhoneBAK software, currently available for most mobile phone platform, has some sophisticated features that will alert you when your phone is stolen, report the unauthorised SIM card’s information and also track the phone’s location via the mobile cell location.
BUT, for PhoneBAK to run on the iPhone, it probably requires the app to be running in the background for it to be able to detect and then send out the SMS without the thief’s knowledge, which was why the app never got the stamp of approval from Apple. That’s where PhoneSCREAM comes in.
h4. What is PhoneSCREAM
PhoneSCREAM is like the sad little cousin of PhoneBAK which might deter some clueless thief for a short while. What it does is when activated, should anyone lift the iPhone, the in-built accelerometer will detect the movement and scream – by default, a siren will be heard. To deactivate it, you just need to press the Home button. You can also custom record a warning via the mic and use that as the siren. To change to that or to two other siren sounds, just go to the Settings and select PScream and make your choices there. Pretty simple and easy to use.
See it in action here:
h4. How loud can it scream?
Therein lies the problems for this app. Its simplicity also makes it a less than effective way to deter theft of your iPhone. It’s main objective of alerting you when the iPhone is shifted, is easily thwarted if you had previously set the volume to low or silent. It will be more effective when the accelerometer detects the movement, when the siren goes, the app should also push the volume up to maximum for it to be effective. However, anyone who plugged their earphones to the iPhone, the PhoneSCREAM is rendered useless as the alert sounds comes out through the earphones.
h4. Press HOME and be home free
Furthermore, it’s too easy to deactivate the alarm. Like an alarm clock, most people’s first reaction to shut the alarm is to press the biggest button on the clock. For the iPhone, it is the Home button. When PhoneSCREAM is running and screaming its head off, by pressing the Home button, the alarm is switched off and voila, instant peace. A better option would be to set a numeric key lock that will only silent the siren if the right key combination is keyed in.
According to the app’s description in the App Store, PhoneSCREAM disables the auto lock so that it will always detect motion but will lock the iPhone when the siren is triggered. However, this doesn’t seem to work for the iPod Touch as when the siren goes off, after the Home button is pressed, the auto-lock did not lock the iPod Touch and just returns to the Springboard. Anyone with iPhone can verify that it will display the number pad for unlocking?
Another thing to add is that the app will keep your iPhone awake if it is activated. Forgot about it and your battery will probably go flat before it can start screaming.
h4. i-PhoneSCREAM – Give me PhoneBAK soon!
That said, it is unfortunate that due to Apple’s strict restriction over the SDK prevented Bak2U to offer PhoneBAK for the iPhone. Though PhoneSCREAM can serve as a _first line of defense, its limitations are apparent and makes it far less effective as an anti-theft software. Hopefully the guys at Bak2U will persevere and hopefully we’ll see a closer copy of PhoneBAK for the iPhone in the near future, or at least a beefed up PhoneSCREAM soon.
PhoneSCREAM (“iTunes Link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303078448&mt=8) is available at the App Store for US$0.99. Also check out other iPhone apps from “Bak2U”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=289735051 at the App Store.
h4. Screen shots
The first of many Singapore sites and web-services that are not Mac-friendly.
The “Nokia Music Store”:http://music.nokia.com.sg, which was launched recently provides legal downloads of music for Singaporeans on their Windows PC and their Nokia Phones.
With people crying out for legal and DRM-free music downloads, there are still companies willing to go cahoot with greedy recording labels to tie their consumers down with draconian DRM measures.
For Mac users, Nokia Music Store will be a big FAIL.
TV@SG Lite (“iTunes Link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=301366272&mt=8) was made available at the App Store recently, giving you a handy TV guide on your iPhone/iPod Touch. The app is developed by Joseph Wee who also did Carpark@SG (“iTunes Link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=301041492&mt=8), TrafficCam SG (“iTunes Link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=298595036&mt=8) and Locacity SG (“iTunes Link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=296498325&mt=8).
At the moment, this Lite version enables you to view programs shown today on channels from MediaCorp TV, Starhub Cable TV and Singtel mio TV. When the full version is available (probably paid), you get a full week’s programme schedule and also the ability to do a search and view what’s currently showing on TV.
Definitely a handy app to have if you are a TV addict. Get it now for FREE at the iTunes App Store for your iPhone/iPod Touch. Note that this requires an active internet connection for the app to work.
Junda Ong who makes the popular “SG-series”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=293971188 of iPhone apps has added a new one to the mix – possibly one that will rake him a nice income – SG Girls (“iTunes Link”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=298767039&mt=8) is available for US$3.99.
bq. SG Girls display public photos on the Internet with the theme “Singapore Girls”. This is an application to appreciating oriental beauties.
Just what any hot-blooded guy needs on their iPhone…It features streaming of photographs, zooming, ratings and the ability to save the photos.
Like most developers, Junda had “faced problems”:http://twitter.com/samwize/statuses/1155401979 getting approval for the app to be approved by Apple. But after two over months, the app finally shows up today.
For those who aren’t fluent in hokkien, mai tu liao literally meant let’s not wait… maybe, just maybe the Gods in Cupertino heard my plea.
h4. Story behind SG Girls
The app came about after some prompting from Junda’s friend to make him an app that he would use daily. Somehow, the idea of seeing the daily top pictures from a popular local photo site came to mind. With two weeks of coding, he came up with a system backed by a distributed Mac system that will source a selected few photo sharing sites for photos that matches the “SG Girl” criteria and stream them via the app.
One of the criteria is that no sleazy photos will be distributed so as not to contravene Apple’s strict restrictions over the apps that appear in the App Store. Junda also wants to make the app as a “clean, premium photography app”.
h4. First look at the SG Girls
The app works as advertise. Upon loading, it automatically streams photos of girls from various photo sites like Flickr, PhotoBucket and Picassa, to name a few. Occasionally, you will see the Flickr’s “The Photo is current unavailable” placeholder.
One thing to note is the app is a bandwidth sucker, with each photo averaging between 50-100 KBs, those with limited data plan should try to use this app only when WIFI is available.
The controls are minimal (click on image), and only appear when you tap once on the screen. You get to scroll back and forth, rate the photos and also the option to save to your Photo app. There is also an option to “flag” the photo and another button that gives the instruction and description of the app.
A suggestion is to expand the options available when one “flag” the photo. Besides inappropriate content, owners or the subject in the photographs should also be allowed to indicate that they want the image removed. The issue of image usage is tricky in this context as there are sites that are not strict in protecting the usage rights of the content owner.
I guess one would like to know how are the qualities of the photos shown. To each his own, but there are photos that are street candids which I feel, are photos which won’t meet the app’s objective of showcasing “oriental beauties”.
As Junda said himself, the app is very raw after just two weeks of development. There is a market for such an app and when he fine tunes SG Girls, don’t be surprised to see similar apps showcasing beauties from the region.
