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Cell Phone Safety—Preparing For and Avoiding Cell Phone Theft

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As cell phone capabilities increase, so does smart phone theft. Pickpocketers are finding it increasingly easy and beneficial to steal smart phones, often choosing them over wallets. In addition to the wealth of information that can be found on smart phones, they’re also easy to resell, resulting in quick cash for the thief.  Cell phone thieves have it easy when it comes to stealing because they take advantage of potential victims by capitalizing on the distraction caused by talking on the phone. Cell phone distraction occurs as users focus on the call rather than on their surroundings. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, two teens used a BB gun to rob a Chicago woman of her iPhone at gunpoint. A quick response on the part of police and thorough description from the victim resulted in the iPhone being recovered, but most victims of cell phone theft are not as fortunate.

Cell phone theft has risen between 80 and 200 percent, depending upon what part of the world you live in, states Time Magazine. In the United States, several cities face a higher risk of cell phone theft, including Miami.  More than 50 percent of those living in Miami have been victims of cell phone theft, but anyone carrying a cell phone, and especially a smart phone, is at-risk of theft. The safety measures you take in advance can help you avoid theft and protect your identity and information in the event one occurs.

  • Password Protection. More than 54 percent of smart phone users do not protect their phones with a password. This means that thieves need only to press or slide the unlock button to gain access to all the information stored on the phone. It takes less than 30 seconds to enter your password, but can take days or weeks to recover from information theft. Which is more inconvenient?
  • Keep SIM (subscriber identification module) Card Information in a Separate Place. Write down all the identifying numbers on your cell phone’s SIM card, along with your operating network’s contact information, and keep it in a separate location. In the event of cell phone theft you can call your network, provide them with the SIM card information and have it disabled so personal and financial information cannot be accessed. There are also applications that help you protect your SIM card and other cell phone components. mAdvLock is an iPhone app that keeps your SIM card password protected if you use the full version, which costs $14.99.
  • Backup Your Smart Phone Information. Backup your contact list and any other vital information weekly. Whether you use an online storage program, such as the iCloud backup system, or physically write phone numbers down, this is an important step to take on a regular basis.
  • Install Tracking Software. Tracking apps are an effective way to help recover a lost or stolen smart phone. They can also be used to remotely get rid of personal information on your cell phone. Plan B is an excellent tracking app for Android users because it can be loaded onto your smart phone after it’s been lost or stolen. The free application is loaded via your Google gmail account, which most Android users must have anyway, and causes your phone to ring loudly whether the phone is silenced, on the vibration setting or not. Apple offers a similar application, which is now a standard app offered on all devices with IOS 5. The app, Find My iPhone, can be loaded to all other iPhones and iPads remotely and allows the user to lock down a stolen cell phone or wipe it clean of all data. Find My iPhone also emits a loud ringing sound and the app functions even if a sophisticated cell phone thief has already removed the SIM card.
  • Notify the Police. You might be inclined not to call the police because you feel they have bigger thieves to catch than the one who swiped your smart phone. But police departments rely on this type of information to help them establish crime patterns, which can lead them to catching individuals and groups involved in cell phone theft.

As we become more reliant on cell phones to hold vital pieces of financial and personal information for us like a mobile filing cabinet, it’s increasingly important to be proactive instead of reactive. Keep your phone and your information as secure as possible, and protect yourself in case of theft with the steps outlined above. Doing so can make the difference between dealing with major inconvenience and full-blown identity theft.

 

Bully Movie – Cyberbullying – The Darker Side of Social Networking

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This is another view on cyberbulling by a guest blogger to get another set of eyes and views on this critical issue.

The internet, and particularly the rise of social networking, has helped people all over the globe connect. This increased ease of communication, however, has its dark side, demonstrated by the dramatic rise in instances of cyberbullying or cyber-bulling.

What is CyberBullying?

An unknown word until recently, cyberbullying describes harassment via a digital medium, such as a social network, email, chat board or even text message. Victims and perpetrators of cyberbulling are usually children or teenagers – once adults are involved, it becomes cyber-harassment.

Cyberbullying covers a huge spectrum of behavior, from ‘minor’ instances, that might involve a a few teasing text messages, to full-blown campaigns of humiliation and torment that have led teens to attempt or commit suicide. Cyberbullies might carry out all the bullying themselves, or they might enlist the help of others, who – knowingly or not – help them with their campaign.

How CyberBullying Affects Children

Cyberbullying has all the effects that in-person emotional bullying has on children. Arguably, these effects can be worse with cyber-bullying, as children often hide it from parents, teachers and friends through fear of humiliation, and because they’ve been threatened by the bullies. Cyberbullying is rarely just one message, email or text. Instead, bullying campaigns can go on for months, even years.

As the bullying is digital, it might also be anonymous, which can make it very difficult to find and stop the bully. Perpetrators have also been known to pose as other children, leaving them difficult to identify.

Several prominent cyber-bullying cases have made national headlines in recent years. In March 2012, a Maryland teenager left messages on social networking site Reddit, threatening to commit suicide if her school didn’t do something to stop her cyber-bully. In the same month, a student was convicted of a cyberbullying campaign that led to his roommate’s suicide in 2010.

How to Respond to Cyber-Bullies

Every cyberbullying case is different and will need to be treated differently. Cyberbullying victims should always keep a copy of messages they received, as this could be used as proof later. However, they shouldn’t respond to the bully, no matter what they say or do, and should try and block the bully from contacting them. Telling the victim’s school and potentially even taking legal action could cause the bully to stop. During and after bullying cases, it’s important that victims receive appropriate counseling to help them deal with the situation.

Where to Find Help

As agencies, communities and companies start to realize just how pervasive and damaging cyber-bullying is, more groups are coming together to raise awareness and encourage young people to take action to stop cyber-bullying. MTV recently teamed up with the phenomenally popular Angry Birds app, offering users the chance to unlock a hidden level in “Angry Birds in Space” if they spread the word about MTV’s anti-bullying campaign.

A cyberbully can have many different motivations for their behavior, and both victims and perpetrators of the bullying need help and support. If you or someone you know is affected by cyberbullying, or if you would like to learn more, the following resources offer support and advice:

-  Stop Bullying is a national resource that provides advice and guidance to everyone who might be affected by cyberbullying, including schools and parents, and also run a 24-hour hot line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

-  Stomp Out Bullying is a resource specifically for teenagers, raising awareness and running campaigns to try and stop bullying.

-  For parents, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center gives advice and information on how to support bullied children.

“Bully” the movie arrives in cinemas on 30th March 2012. It tracks five students who faced daily bullying, and has sparked The Bully Project, which offers information to students, parents and teachers.

Selling via Facebook and Pinterest – Pros and Cons

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Social media venues have become an important part of business growth. The ability to communicate with potential clients and customers worldwide has brought great success to small, local businesses who would have never reached people beyond their city limits without venues such as Facebook or Pinterest. In addition to serving as an important part of an entrepreneur’s or small business’s marketing campaign, social media venues can also help boost sales.

Facebook is popular with many small businesses due to the exposure it can bring and Pinterest is currently the hottest social media venue out there. Knowing how and when to use each of these venues effectively can help you increase sales, as well as your customer base. But knowing which venue to use for what type of selling is an important part of the equation and it helps you avoid wasting time and effort. Read on to gain important information about each.
• Selling on Facebook. While Facebook allows the user to post both images and words, it still remains one of the primary places to tell people about what you’re selling. In the case of Facebook, a picture doesn’t speak a thousand words, it only tells part of the story. To really take advantage of the sales opportunities on Facebook you must combine your images with carefully crafted words. When words and images are used together on Facebook you can write as much as you want, although it’s in your best interest to not get too wordy and risk losing a customer’s attention.
The best things to sell on Facebook are your services. Are you a coach? Does your business offer landscaping services? Are you a freelance writer? Use Facebook to briefly describe your services and add an attention-getting image, if you like. Link your business blog or website to your Facebook post to draw potential customers directly to you.
• Selling on Pinterest. As the newest of social media venues, Pinterest is primarily an image-based social media venue. Users “pin” images to different pin boards with standard categories, such as Favorite Places and Spaces, or to the pin boards they’ve created. When pins are created, the user can add a comment or explanation about it. Although the explanation can be long, not many Pinterest users are there to read…they’re there to look at the pinned images.
Therefore, Pinterest is an effective place to sell items. Do you want to increase the sales of season-specific sports equipment? You can create a pin board titled “Baseball Season” and, each day, highlight a specific piece of equipment with a brief description, price and link back to your website. Tailor your use of Pinterest to fit your business’s specific sales needs.

A combination of Facebook and Pinterest gives you double exposure and allows you to connect with customers and clients regarding different facets of your business. Use these two social media venues to their full advantage by remembering which one is word-focused, which one is image-focused and tailoring your sales campaign appropriately. By linking both back to your business website you can add to the effectiveness of both of these social media venues and see an increase in your sales.

iFlipTips Review – Flipcard, NoteCard Study Buddy App for iPhone & iPad

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“I used the iFlipTips app for the first time today; and my experience was definitely worth sharing. As a recent graduate student who concentrated in education I could definitely use this app at different levels. I developed my grad thesis concerning visual-spatial students (i.e. kids who learn more effectively visually and by interacting as opposed to sequentially or by hearing) so I definitely agree that a tool like this can be priceless for a majority of students. You’ll begin to understand why as I break down the basics of the iFlipTips app.

The iFlipTips app can let students(and teachers, tutors, or parents) make Q&A flipcards, capture audio, video, text and take/use photos. You can also answer with pics, video, text and audio. Pretty cool huh?  iFlipTips is simple which is great for students of all ages and people of all technological skill level. It uses single button notecards with text, audio, video and pics. Both elements of this app have versatile sharing options – iFlipTips and iFlipCards can be shared or posted via  Twitter and Facebook or sent via email. It allows you to capture information and  organize it quickly and uninhibitedly.

Now do you understand why students and teachers would get a kick out of this app? Especially those visual-spatial kids who love gadgets and learning through visual reference. Visual aids are just a great tool for everyone. The fact that audio can be used as well is great for those who prefer to study, record information, give advice, organize data audibly as well as visually. While not many students have access to an ipad or iphone most parents, teachers, and tutors do.

The educational aspect of this app is what won me over. While I’m sure there are many more creative uses for it than teaching and studying this is why I value iFlipTips. On a usefulness scale of 1-10 I’d definitely put it in the 8-10 range. It’s the perfect study buddy. Go ahead and check it out at www.iFlipTips.com. You’ll thank me.”

This is an unedited review by Andrea M.

Relaxation Apps for iPhone and iPad

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We hear a lot about how the iPhone and iPad are useful productivity tools, but they can also come to the rescue when all that work and study starts getting you down. Whatever your relaxation method of choice, this list of relaxation apps for iPhone and iPad will help you de-stress and take care of your mental and physical wellbeing.

Pzizz Energizer – getting enough sleep is crucial for combatting the physical tension and fatigue that can go hand-in-hand with stress. The Pzizz Energizer iPhone and iPad app is designed to help you power nap your way back to physical and emotional health. Set a timer stating how long you want to relax or sleep, then let the Pzizz meditation app do its work. Once the time is up, the app will gently wake you up again, refreshed and ready to get on with your day. Pzizz is perfect for taking a lunch-time nap, and gives you full control over your relaxation experience. This mindfulness app creates a different soundtrack whenever you press “Start” so you don’t have to listen to the same audio every time you use it. You can choose whether you want a spoken mediation, background music, and select the volume levels of each.

Yoga Relax – yoga helps your mind to relax, while building strength and flexibility in your body, but you might not have time to attend regular classes. The Yoga Relax iPad and iPhone app lets you practice in the comfort of your own home, providing up to 35 postures in a session. Using this yoga app, you can specify how long you want each “class” to last, which can be anything from sixty seconds up to 36 minutes. During each session, you can turn on audio instruction for extra help with postures, and can choose whether to have background music too. With detailed information about each pose, as well as its health benefits, Yoga Relax isn’t just an exercise app, but also teaches you more about yoga as an art form.

iZenGarden for iPhone and iPad – if you’re someone that finds trying to relax stressful and feels more at peace when you’re concentrating on something, iZenGarden might be the antidote. This zen app provides you with a visual garden. You choose from hundreds of plants, objects and creatures to place in the garden, and rake the sand in traditional zen patterns. The app uses the traditional concept of Japanese zen gardens and turns this into a meditative exercise. iZenGarden contains nine different meditation soundtracks to choose from while you create a beautiful virtual haven. Originally for iPhone, a separate redesigned version of the app is now available for iPad.

Ambience – is a music app that plays soundtracks designed to help you focus or relax. With over 2,500 free sound effects to choose from, you can create your ideal audio environment. The app enables you to create sound playlists so you can cycle through different stages of relaxation. As you are in control of which sounds the app plays, you can use the app for a variety of purposes depending on your needs, including traditional relaxation and meditation, and as a sleep aid. Other features include an alarm function, which you can set in place of your usual alarm, enabling you to wake up gently. In addition to Ambience’s sound library, you can import tracks from iTunes or use the app to record your own sounds.

White Noise – is a sleep app that provides “environmental” sounds, for example those of a fan or air conditioner, to help you relax. The app is useful if you find it hard to relax in silence, or if you are in a noisy environment and need to drown out the background noise with something less intrusive. It loops noises including crashing waves and rain, and you can mix different noises together at different volumes to create new sounds. If you use the app to sleep, you can set a time limit to prevent the soundtrack playing all night. In addition, White Noise has an alarm feature, so you can also start your day in a relaxed way.

iPhone and iPad Essential Apps

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A brand new iPhone or iPad comes with pre-installed apps, however these only scratch the surface of what you can do with your device. Apps allow you to work, play, shop, communicate, and much more. With over 500,000 iPad and iPhone apps in the iTunes store it can be difficult to know where to start looking if you want to add to your collection. Here is a list of essential apps that cover the important areas of life.

Social

Social apps don’t just help you keep in touch with friends and family: more and more business owners are recognizing that social networks carry marketing power and are a great way to expand your client base. Whoever you want to stay connected to, you can download iPhone and iPad apps for all the major social networks, including a free app by Facebook. Twitter users can use Tweetdeck, also free, to keep track of multiple accounts, view mentions and DMs all at once, so you can track what’s happening on the website at a glance. The free Meetup app allows you to stay in touch with new activity on the social site, view details of upcoming meetups, RSVP to new events and join groups.The app is compatible with iCal, so you can add events straight into your calendar.

Communication

While the iPhone sends and receives texts, calls and emails, the range of communication apps available helps you connect to people in even more ways. The free Skype app enables you to make and receive calls with people anywhere in the world, while IM + lets you chat with friends using multiple IM accounts at the same time. TextNOW is useful if you send a lot of text messages, as not only is the app free but it lets you send texts to others for free too, avoiding a heart-stopping cell phone bill every month.

Shopping

As the king of online shopping, Amazon is an essential iPhone and iPad app. With this app, you get full access to Amazon’s catalogue, and can purchase items or save them to your wish list. If you love the thrill of grabbing a real bargain, eBay’s shopping app enables you to search for and bid on items. The app will send you push notifications when items you’re watching or bidding on are about to end, so you can keep an eye on your auction activities even when away from your computer. For the everyday items, Grocery IQ is a shopping app that lets you create grocery lists, keep track of how much you’re spending on a shop, and scan product barcodes to compare the price of an item in different stores.  Some of our apps are great for shopping and bars – iMakeupMirror and iCompactMirror.

Work and Productivity

Similar to a personal computer, both the iPhone and iPad are perfect productivity tools that can help free you from the shackles of the office and enable you to work anywhere you want. Apple’s iWork package is available for both iPhone and iPad. The apps are priced separately at $9.99 each, so they don’t come cheap. You can, however get app versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, which are similar to the full desktop versions and include features like Microsoft Word compatibility and Air Printing. At $0.99, Sorted is less costly than some of its productivity app counterparts, and provides a simple tool with which to create to-do lists and organize your life. When you’re tired of typing, Quick Voice2Text Email creates text emails and documents from dictation for just $2.99. Finally, Mint.com is a free personal finance app that helps you track your income, expenditures, and savings, so you always know what’s happening with your money.  Of course, we our fav is iFlipTips.

Entertainment

After all that hard work, you’re going to need some down time. Netfilx members can turn to the free Netflix entertainment app to stream TV shows and movies for free. Pandora is also free and enables you to create your own radio station from artists you enjoy. On the other hand, if your idea of relaxing is curling up with a book, Amazon’s Kindle app is free for iPhone and iPad, and provides you with your own digital library and a direct connection to the Kindle Store.

Social Shopping Networks for People Who Love Sports and Fitness

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Social shopping networks are changing the shopping habits of consumers everywhere. By combining the consumer shopping experience with online socializing and information gathering, these networks are enjoying more traffic while quickly growing in numbers to meet a variety of consumer needs. Sports and fitness lovers can maximize their shopping time by visiting some of these social shopping networks. The time leftover and money saved on your purchases will give you more time and money to devote to your sport.

  • GiftEm.com. The introduction of GiftEm was recently released to the public with a focus on streamlining the online shopping process for consumers buying for themselves and others. Each member of GiftEm creates a personal profile where they can specify the categories and items they prefer. The free service allows you to find great deals on your favorite sports and fitness ideas, receive alerts for your sports-fanatic friends’ birthdays and create your own gift registry. The more specific you are in your profile, the more GiftEm can customize your social shopping experience. Once the program understands that you love all things hockey, it will start notifying you of sales and items that might be of interest to you.
  • Woot.com. Woot is a little bit different from many other social shopping networks in that it offers only one item per day. The inexpensive item is highlighted for an entire day and when it’s gone, or a new day begins, then the opportunity to buy it is gone, too. Woot showcases a variety of items, varying from entertainment to household to sport. The member forums provide consumers with a place to chat about products and provide reviews. Woot’s blog goes into further detail about the deal of the day, offering members a little bit of information and humor mixed together.
  • WishPot.com. Add your wishes to WishPot so your community of friends and family members knows what you’re hoping to add to your collection of sports and fitness gear and clothing. On this social shopping network you can also see what the experts say about certain products, find and add other members to your shopping community and get price alerts about your favorite sports and fitness items. Instead of wasting time shopping, WishPot lets you know when the items you want are available.
  • ThisNext.com. The small community you become part of at ThisNext will be influenced by your sports and fitness picks, and you’ll enjoy the benefits of learning about new items from other community members. ThisNext takes advantage of collective wisdom by gathering recommendations on a variety of items and letting you know what others think about the items you’re considering. ThisNext has a variety of sports and fitness items, and if you could use the guidance of another opinion you can find plenty at ThisNext.
  • Buzzillions.com. Knowledge is power and it helps you make wiser purchases on your sports and fitness gear and clothing. After you enter your interests, Buzzillions matches you with countless other consumers who share them. You’ll have access to product reviews and recommendations that help you make the best choice possible when shopping for new fitness and sports items. Although Buzzillions isn’t a retailer, they do link to sites where you can make your purchases.

Time is a hotter commodity today than it ever has been before. To have enough time in your schedule for your sports and fitness activities you must be efficient with time throughout your day. Using social shopping networks helps you combine consumer research, shopping and informational discussion. This smart time management technique helps you get better deals on sports and fitness items while giving you more time in your schedule to use them.

5 Top Productivity iPhone and iPad apps

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The iPhone and iPad have revolutionized our ability to organize ourselves and stay on top of our task list, and the app store is full of time-management tools that can help us be more productive and efficient. Using productivity apps doesn’t have to be complicated: here are five top time management apps for the iPhone and iPad that could help you organize your life and reduce your stress levels.

Things: iPhone – $9.99; iPad – $19.99

At $9.99 and $19.99 for the iPhone and iPad apps respectively, Things isn’t cheap. It is, however, one of the most popular task management apps on the market, and uses principals from David Allen’s Getting Things Done system to capture to-dos and arrange your products.  Using this iPhone and iPad productivity app, you can create new items on a to-do list, organize them into projects, assign tasks to certain people, and schedule reminders to receive notification when a task is due. As well as viewing tasks or projects that are due today and in the near future, you can schedule repeating tasks that automatically reappear on set days, weekly or monthly.

Although the different functions of this efficient time-management tool might seem complex, Things is a simple organization app to use, and you can sync between your desktop, iPhone and iPad to keep changes to your lists and projects up-to-date.

Instapaper: $4.99

It’s a familiar situation: we decide to give ourselves “just 10 minutes” browsing Facebook, Twitter or similar, yet are still there an hour later. Instapaper helps us stay on track and removes the temptation to aimlessly surf by allowing users to save articles to read another time. Once you’ve saved an article, you can open up the Instapaper app on your iPhone or iPad at a more opportune time and catch up on your reading.

Evernote: FREE

Evernote is a note-taking app that allows you to capture all your ideas in one place, sort them into folders and save them for later. Using Evernote, you can capture text, picture or audio clips and store them on your iPhone, iPad or Desktop. Notes automatically sync between devices and you can share your files with others too. The app and desktop account are free, however you can access extra features by upgrading to the premium version. These features include the ability to edit notebooks offline, share your notebooks with others and add a PIN for extra security.

HiFutureSelf: FREE

HiFutureSelf is a simple yet effective app that enables you to schedule messages to yourself in the future. With the ability to send messages and reminders to friends, HiFutureSelf can also function as a social app. It’s useful for business and personal messages: whether you know you have a tough day head and want to send yourself pick-me-up slogans, or you want to ensure you remember to ask a crucial question during a meeting.

GoodReader: iPhone – $4.99; iPad – $4.99

The GoodReader app allows you to read and annotate files on your iPhone or iPad. Use the app to read books, view pictures and magazines. If you want to make a note of something, you can use the highlighter, comment, or freehand drawing functions to make your mark on the text. The app is compatible with PDF, TXT, MS Office, iWork and HTML files, and can also display pictures and audio files. Sync your GoodReader documents with other users or your desktop using dropbox, iDisk or Google Docs when you’re finished so you can access your work anywhere, anytime.

We take time to review apps and ideas, please send your products for your review and ideas for consideration.

Top 5 iPhone/iPad Travel Apps

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Light, compact, and more portable than a laptop, the iPhone and iPad are the perfect traveling companions. Whether you’re going away for business or pleasure, these apps will help you make the most out of your trip.

TripAdvisor – Free

The TripAdvisor app for iPhone and iPad provides access to a mobile-friendly version of the information on tripadvisor.com. This popular website is invaluable to travelers, and contains information on thousands of hotels, eateries, bars and attractions all over the world. All reviews come from previous guests and patrons, giving you a fair view of an establishment’s pros and cons. Using the app, you can see the top-rated restaurants, hotels and attractions in your area, or search for nearby locations using a map. As well as being a review app, you can book a hotel room or find a business’s contact information.

TripIt – Free

We have enough to think about when we’re going on holiday, and small details – like what time our flight leaves – can slip our minds. This is where TripIt comes to the rescue. With TripIt, gone are the days of having to root through papers, or search through thousands of emails. When you receive a confirmation email from an airline, transport company or hotel, simply forward it to plans@tripit.com and TripIt will create a travel itinerary for you, which you can then access with just a few taps. If you’re going away with friends, or want to share your whereabouts with family, simply forward your itinerary to them and they’ll have all the information they need.

Hotels.com – Free

Even the best laid plans can fall apart sometimes and, if you’re in a strange place with nowhere to stay, the hotels.com app will help. This mobile version of the website lets you search for and book hotels around the world. With each listing, you can view hotel reviews by previous visitors so you can get the traveler’s perspective before booking. If you’ve booked a hotel through the hotels.com website, you can view your reservation through the app and view exclusive mobile-only deals in your area.

AllSubway HD – $0.99

AllSubway HD is a compilation of subway maps from nearly 140 cities around the world. Covering major cities on every continent, this iPad app gives you quick access to its maps without needing a 3G or wifi connection. If you do happen to be online, you can also view fares and timetables in some cities. Simple to use and quick to load, AllSubway HD is a must-have map app for the city-loving traveler.

XECurrency – Free

Compatible with both the iPhone and the iPad, this app converts to any currency in the world, providing you with information about current and historical exchange rates. Simply shake your device to get up-to-date currency information and monitor up to ten different currencies in one go. If you dabble in more than just traditional currency, you can also check the prices of precious metals. You need to be online to download current currency conversion information, however you can still use the app’s currency calculator when offline.

10 Twitter Pet Peeves – The Good, The Bad & Often Ugly

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If you’ve been reading ChicsTech for a while, you remember the post we did on the Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Facebook. We talked about those Facebook users who post countless photos of their cat, gross details about what their eating or doing and posting 50 times a day in general. Unfortunately, some of these users are also getting Twitter accounts and their behavior on Twitter isn’t much better.

Granted, one of the greatest benefits to Twitter over Facebook is the 140 character limit but in addition to that, so many tweets are sent each day that tweets don’t stay in your “feed” for very long.

Even so, users are using and abusing the power of the tweet and we’ve compiled a list of our 10 biggest Twitter pet peeves. Do any of these apply to you? Step away from the computer, set down your phone and tweet with care and consideration.

  1. The excessive @ tweeter. This is the person who has an @ sign in every tweet. Frankly, they’re just hoping for a re-tweet from someone with more followers than them. Hate to tell them but tweeting @ celebrities all the time isn’t necessarily going to help you grow your following.
  2. The excessive retweeter. This is nearly the opposite of the first person as this person never creates original content. They just scour their feed and retweet anything they find interesting. What’s worse is that they never edit the tweet and add their own thoughts, they just retweet verbatim.
  3. The “read my blog” tweeter. We all want people to read our blogs. But tweeting only links to your posts isn’t a good policy.
  4. Too many abbreviations. Believe it or not, Oprah does this all the time. Her feed is full of u, r, 4, 2 and multiple other super strange abbreviations. Yeah, you only have 140 characters but plan your tweets accordingly.
  5. A moving avatar image. This is so weird. It’s way too small to actually tell what you’re doing so just use a .jpg and call it good.
  6. The complainer. When one tweet a day is a whine about something, you should probably not have a Twitter account. If you don’t have something interesting to tweet, don’t tweet anything at all.
  7. Pointless profanity. There is so much needless profanity on Twitter. Way more it seems than on Facebook. Keep it clean the majority of the time and respect other Twitter users.
  8.  No description of your account. At least say your first name in the short description of you on Twitter. While you don’t have to give away your street address, come on, tell people a little bit about what they can expect from your Twitter feed.
  9. The moocher. Some people tweet for the single purpose of trying to get companies to give them free things. This goes along a little bit with number 6, the complainer, but tweeting @ companies all the time hoping for something in return is obnoxious.
  10. The person who follows everyone. If you have 10 followers and are following 10,000, there might be a problem. Don’t follow everyone immediately after you join Twitter. Choose your follows carefully to keep some sort of balance between following and followers.

Some of you may have peeves on #hashtags, we don’t but open to your thoughts.  Just like with Facebook, be a respectful Twitter user. Of course, have fun with this social network but do unto others as you would want others to do unto you.  And since we’re talking Twitter, don’t forget to follow this blog @BeautyApps for more great information.