YNN highlights the coolest and newest apps for your cell phone or mobile device in the twice-weekly segment “App Wrap.” YNN’s Adam Balkin filed the following report.
LiftMaster Garage Door Opener
If you own a home, it's one of the nagging questions you often ask yourself within 30 seconds of pulling out your driveway — did I close my garage door? Now that question can be answered without disrupting the commute, thanks to this new LiftMaster Garage Door Opener with MyQ technology.
Quite simply, once the opener is installed and the home network gets a wireless transmitter, the user can check on the garage from anywhere, on a smartphone or tablet. If the garage door is indeed open, it can then be closed remotely. "If you're halfway around the world and you wonder if your garage door is open, you can simply check your smartphone and know whether your home is secure or not," says Paul Accardo of LiftMaster. "Applications for this also include being able to let people in your home when you're not around. The same technology allows you to operate lights within your home as well."
The LiftMaster with MyQ runs between $350 and $400 and there is a $10 yearly service charge for the smartphone capability.
And though there are apps, for free, designed specifically for iOS, Android, and Blackberries, since it can also be done via a web browser, ANY smartphone can work with the system.
"See-Through" Smartphones
This next type of app is much lower tech but it makes so much sense. Smartphone users can now take advantage of their mobile devices' built-in cameras, so they don't bump into things while they text or email.
There are lots of apps out there — "Email 'n Walk" and "Type n Walk," for example — but one free app is "See Through Messaging" for Windows Mobile phones. The camera turns on while the user is walking and writing an email or text, allowing the user to "see through" the smartphone at the world beyond, and to hopefully not walk into rush-hour traffic. Do a search in the app store for "email walk" and many apps costing about 99 cents will appear, but "See Through Messaging" for Windows Mobile phones is one of the free apps.