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App and running ; We profile the weird and wonderful uses for your smartphone [Eire Region] [Mirror (UK)](Mirror (UK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) FROM gadgets helping you figure out if your mates are gay to stalking your friends, ordering a drink at the bar without leaving your seat and getting you out of dodgy dates, app creators really have thought of everything. And we've rounded up the 10 most bizarrely handy apps out there. THE 'STALQER' APP: PRONOUNCED 'stalker', this handy - and somewhat disturbing - app lets you track down your friends, colleagues and even exes. The technology works by culling Facebook for location data and plotting it on a map. Obviously you have to be Facebook friends with the target you want to track but it could definitely help root out cheating partners or help you keep an eye on your former partner. It may soon be possible to 'stalq' people from their Twitter updates. THE 'LEFTOVER SWAP' APP: THIS big-hearted app allows users to give away their leftovers after a meal out. Instead of taking home a doggie bag you simply take a picture of what you didn't eat, post it on your profile and then wait for someone nearby to claim it or offer a trade. You can also view a menu of the available leftovers around you, choose what you want, and set up a pickup or delivery. RUNPEE: EVERYONE knows that feeling of drinking too much at the cinema and needing to nip to the loo but being afraid of missing the best part of the movie. Well now you don't have to, thanks to a quirky new app that plans your toilet break for you. RunPee will tell you the best times to duck out of a film to relieve yourself so you don't miss a thing. GAYOMETER PRO: THIS bizarre app will help confirm or rubbish your suspicions that someone close to you is gay. It analyses a person's picture and studies key facial features to ascertain their sexuality. But whether anyone believes you can work that out at the click of a button is another matter. THE TOOTH FAIRY APP: TARGETED at parents, it saves you the headache of wondering how much the tooth fairy should leave under your child's pillow by calculating it for you. According to tooth fairy, the amount can vary depending on where you live, family and tradition. GYM SHAMER: SOMETIMES we need to be named and shamed to push us out the door. And that's exactly what tough-love Gym Shamer app does in a bid to help users get fit and lose weight. It works by tracking your fitness plan and then outing you to your friends on social media when you fail to stick to it. The app uses FourSquare so when you check-in at the gym, you are saved from embarrassment. BAD DATE RESCUE APP: WE'VE all been there, an awkward date that's going nowhere and you'd rather stick pins in your eyes than endure the agony. But fear not because miracle app Bad Date Rescue has got your perfect escape covered. Launched by dating website eHarmony.com, users arrange for a phone call to help them bail. And the clever free app even lets you choose exactly who you want to rescue you by allowing you to pick a number from your contacts list and flashing that number up on your screen when the call comes through. "Emergency" scripts are also available giving the reason for the call, such as a neighbour calling about a leaky pipe, your mum telling you your sister just had a baby or your boss demanding you get to the office ASAP. WAKIE: IF you constantly hit the snooze button each morning to give you a few extra minutes in bed, a new app might make waking for work a lot easier - or at least more interesting. Instead of playing a generic tune or ringtone, the free Wakie app lets random members call each other at set times. The app has members from around the world, and each call only lasts a minute - to make sure there are no "awkward conversations or goodbyes". Each call lasts just 60 seconds, and users will hear a warning at 50 seconds, before the call is automatically cut off. User can also choose to wake someone else up. ORDERELLA: CROWDING around a bar waiting your turn to order might become a thing of the past as new app Orderella officially launches after last week's Web Summit in Dublin. So far 19 venues across the city have signed up to the system which allows bar clients to order their food and drinks at their tables from their smartphones. Users can browse a pub's food and drinks menu, place orders and pay with Paypal or credit card details which are stored on the app. Once the order is ready, it can be picked up or will be delivered to the table by bar staff. ZOMBIES, RUN!: JUST plain whacky, this app makes you think you're being chased by zombies to make you run faster and work out harder. You definitely need to suspend your disbelief but the thought of a pack of brain-hungry zombies chasing you should be enough to get anyone sprinting. INAP@WORK: THIS could possibly be the greatest invention ever - an app that lets you squeeze in a few sneaky naps while at the office. So while you catch a few Zs, the gadget will produce a series of sounds ranging from mouse and keyboard clicks to paper shuffling and even human sounds like you clearing your throat and sniffling to trick your boss into thinking you're working. There's no contingency plan for what happens if your boss actually approaches your desk and finds you conked out. But this app is sure to give the whole office a good giggle if nothing else. [email protected] (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |