<div>J<strong>ust Block Them</strong></div><div>Are you plagued by hour-upon-the-hour SMSs from those property people? Lately, they seem to have gone so active you can fully expect to have every task to be interrupted at least once by an SMS offering you your dream home. It’s enough to drive anyone to distraction. On Android, download smsBlocker by Optinno Mobitech. You’ll get instant relief. smsBlocker has a regular and premium version and you can first get the regular one to see how it works. There’s a known list of stuff it blocks to begin with, so out go all the property messages. But beyond that you can add words to filter out messages such as loan, for example. You can also set the app to exclude messages from your service providers, banks, and other important stuff. You can also opt to get a notification of the number of SMSs blocked during the day and click to look and reverse the block if you find something you wanted after all.<br /> </div><div><strong>Record It Smartly</strong></div><div>Recording apps are a dime a dozen and yet one never knows which one really does a good job. One that is both simple and yet gives you just the control you need is Smart Voice Recorder for Android. There’s a big red button, you press it, and you’re on. But there are some nice features.</div><table width="100" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" border="0" align="right"><tbody><tr><td><img width="132" vspace="3" hspace="3" height="131" alt="" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=21949f38-2fa0-436c-9581-65fb527fc229&groupId=816580&t=1371201761114" /></td></tr></tbody></table><div>First, you see a red dot in the notification bar so you can tell it’s recording — just in case you forget or get calls in the middle and lose track. The app also lets you opt to ignore gaps in speaking so you end up with a smoother recording if there’s any stopping and starting in the conversation.<br /> <br />You can pause and resume, a feature that is sorely needed in a recording app. Another great feature is that you can set the quality and therefore the size of the file. You can spot the difference between different bit rates immediately. You can save the files to your microSD card. To remove ads, pay Rs 50.<br /> </div><table width="100" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="3" border="0" align="left"><tbody><tr><td><img width="132" vspace="3" hspace="3" height="131" alt="" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=55e554a0-1bfe-4732-96e4-1ed9e4cde6b9&groupId=816580&t=1371201804886" /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><strong>Don't Be Clueless</strong></div><div>Every Android user will have heard about how unsafe apps can be and how they compromise your privacy. You have to give them information if you want them to fit into your life. But it’s very important to be aware of how much access an app has to your information and then decide if the trade-off is okay with you. Get a clue. In fact, get Clueful, a free app from security firm Bitdefender. This assesses your privacy risk for each app and gives you a privacy score. That doesn’t mean you throw the apps out, but instead, choose the ones you share your info with. To get advanced security, upgrade for free and get more information such as which apps are viruses, if any. I was happy to see I had no high-risk apps on my phone but not so happy to note that an app I’ve come to rely on leaks my device ID. I now have the option of getting rid of it, or asking the developers to explain what the risk happens to be.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;">(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 01-07-2013) </span><br /><br /> </div>
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
