The Social Path

Day 10: Lock your phone already.

Throughout January, The Social Path is running daily tips on how to improve your social life — online, at least. Click here to learn more. 

You know you should do it. I know I should do it. And yet, none of us does it.

Code-locking your phone is the single easiest thing you can do make your personal information incredibly more secure. But because it adds a minor annoyance to our lives, almost no one bothers.

An unlocked phone is an open invitation for thieves to pillage your life on a level that makes household burglary look like a stolen hubcap. Your contacts, your calendar, your ma ps, your Facebook, your e-mails, your photos, your texts, your Tweets...the scope of information available in today's phones is terrifying when you imagine it falling into the wrong hands.

That's exactly what happened to the wife of Chicago Tribune columnist Mark Bazer, who wrote a popular piece last week called "Congratulations on your new iPhone!" Bazer's writeup walked the thief through the many great features of the phone, which had been snatched right out of the owner's hands while she was waiting for a train:

"My wife, in the one whole month she was using your phone, downloaded some great apps  for you. The Facebook app, for example, works just like regular Facebook, and should allow you to easily join the Facebook Groups "iPhone Thieves" and "People Who Make Other People Cry."

"My wife also downloaded a great app to help if you're planning to redecorate your home, another if you're looking to get into pilates, and another that helps locate the nearest pawn shop."

While Bazer's column conveys the frustration of a stolen phone, what he doesn't discuss (perhaps because it's not funny at all) is how your entire identity is left vulnerable when a phone gets grabbed.

Whatever your phone model, I'm willing to bet it's got a PIN-lock system that won't add too much frustration to your life.

The iPhone offers several settings that make the code a little less cumbersome for daily use. For example, you can set your phone to go idle every minute for power saving, but only require a password every five or 15 minutes.

If you want some Mission Impossible-level protection, you can turn on a setting that erases all data on your iPhone after 10 failed passcode attempts. (All these options can be found in the "Passcode Lock" section of your iPhone's Settings menu.

Whatever your phone model, please consider taking this small step toward better security in a disarmingly dangerous world. This isn't like asking you to use the parking brake every time you leave the car. It's like asking you to take your keys and your kids with you.

Estimated time needed: 1 minute.

Benefits: Improved security for your data, your identity and your life in general.

Coming tomorrow: OK, enough doom and gloom about security. Let's talk about shopping!

Four trends that will rattle retail this Christmas.

Remember a few years back, when online shopping reached a tipping point and simply became a standard part of the American holiday experience? Well this year, there are even more digitally driven shifts in the works, and you can bet that shoppers and sellers alike are going to notice.

Here are four to watch:

1. Smart phones as the ultimate shopping tool

If you own a pickup truck, everyone wants you to help them move. If you own an iPhone, get ready to feel a similar dependence, because everyone will want you to help them shop.

Smart phones, especially Apple’s dominant device, will be worth their weight in saffron this Christmas. Last November, iPhone users were lacking two vital resources: practical shopping applications and mobile-friendly review sites.

This time around, the iPhone is a veritable treasure trove of easy-to-navigate review hubs and apps like RedLaser, a $1.99 download that lets you scan product barcodes in stores to see whether you could find a better price elsewhere.

Another easy trick is to use Google’s mobile app to search for a specific product, then click “Shopping results for…” in your search results. You’ll get a simple, scrolling list of online prices. Similarly, Amazon’s app can help you see what you’d pay on their site for an in-store item.

The downside of all these great tools? Only 17% or so of Americans are on smartphones, so if you’ve got one, get ready to be dragged on just about every shopping excursion this year.

2. Shopping directly from Facebook

Social networks, especially Facebook, have been huge assets for popular retailers. But they pose one major problem: Selling something to your fans almost always requires sending them away from Facebook, something users rarely want to do.

 

To overcome this hurdle, companies need a reliable and secure way to sell products directly through Facebook.

 

The smart folks over at Resource Interactive say they’ve created the solution: “Off the Wall,” a customizable tool that lets companies sell stuff right from your Facebook feed.

Photoshop on the iPhone: A pro and a casual user weigh in.

When Adobe recently announced it was launching a Photoshop iPhone app — a free one, at that — millions of photo enthusiasts were both excited and skeptical. So we decided to put this hot new toy through the ringer with a two-part review.

First, we turn to Adweek Photo Editor Manuela Oprea, a woman who clearly knows her way around a camera. Then you'll get the skinny from me, Kammie Avant, Luckie's social media planner and run-of-the-mill, 20-something iPhone addict.

Manuela Oprea
Adweek Photo Editor

I hesitated before deciding to download the new Photoshop Mobile App. No, it wasn't the price; the app is free. Instead, I thought about the limited memory I have left on my 8GB iPhone and wondered if I really needed the app or if I would use it.

As a photographer, I use Photoshop on a daily basis, and I'm always astonished by the program's capabilities. So I was skeptical of the "mini-me" Mobile version and assumed that it would be clumsy or gimmicky.

To my surprise, I found the Photoshop Mobile App easy to use and useful. The basic functions, like cropping and exposure, came in handy, especially after snapping a photo on a overcast day. I also had fun with the sketch filter, though I could do without the jarring rainbow effects.

Overall, I was enjoying the experience and didn't regret the download until I tried to register, a process that's supposed to help you share the photos you've edited on your iPhone. After multiple attempts to create a Photoshop.com account and two different error messages, my frustration built up and I gave up. The App is still on my phone, for the time being.

Manuela's before-and-after shots from the Photoshop app:

    

After the jump, we get down to the details with my take:

7 great iPhone travel apps (that aren't Urban Spoon).

With the recent release of The 2009 Luckie Fifty, my agency's compilation of the best travel sites on the Web, I wanted to dedicate a little time to an area we don't (yet) include in the roster: iPhone apps.

The iPhone has become an invaluable tool for travelers, especially thanks to the ingenuity of application developers. Here are just a few of the many travel apps that can help make travel just a bit less taxing:

FlightTrack Pro
What it does: Serves as a "personal air travel assistant," tracking your itineraries and keeping you updated on any changes. Lets you monitor flights, delays, gates, baggage carousels, etc. — and sync your flight plan with the social network TripIt.com.
What it costs: $9.99 (or $4.99 for the non-pro version, which includes most everything except the TripIt sync.)
What reviewers say: Average rating of 3.5 stars. Repeat users generally rank the app highly and say the TripIt sync is worth the extra few bucks.

Yelp
What it does: Helps you find reviews and directions for restaurants, hotels or almost any other business nearby. The GPS-based search has made this an invaluable tool on any trip of mine.
What it costs: Free.
What reviewers say: Average rating of 3 stars. The big beef is that you can't actually post reviews from your phone, which I admit would be nice. However, last month, the service added a "Quick Tips" option that lets you post mini-reviews of sorts. That might appease the mob a bit.

Google Mobile
What it does: This is the app that should have come with the iPhone. Lets you say your search terms right into the phone. Click on a business address, and you'll get directions loaded into your map. Click on a phone number, and you can call it.
What it costs: Free
What reviewers say: Average rating 3.5 stars. Most complaints seem based on the voice recognition, which I've found to be almost always accurate, though I have no real accent to speak of.

Lonely Planet Audio Phrasebooks
What it does: Sold by language, each phrasebook includes about $600 spoken and phonetically written phrases, saving you the hassle (and embarrassment) of carrying around a dictionary.
What it costs: $9.99 per language, with 10 languages available so far, including Cantonese, Czech and Turkish.
What reviewers say:
Average rating of 3.5 stars. Most reviewers generally feel the app works well but that the price point is too steep for what you get.

Cheap Gas
What it does: Finds the cheapest gas in your area.
What it costs: Free.
What reviewers say: Average rating 2.5 stars. Prices can be a bit out of date, and a lot of stations simply aren't listed, but it's definitely better than just stopping somewhere randomly.

Wi-Fi Finder
What it does: Finds the nearest Wi-Fi hotspots (free or paid) near you. Finding wireless access in new cities can be a lot harder than you might think, so there's definitely a value here.
What it costs: Free
What reviewers say: Average rating 2.5 stars. iPod Touch users don't seem to like it, because they have to be ON a wireless network to use this site, which kinda defeats the purpose. But iPhone users are all around quite happy with it.

Sit or Squat
 What it does: Lets you browse reviews of toilets located nearby.
What it costs: Free
What reviewers say: Average rating 2.5 stars. Most critics complain about the app not having enough toilets on record, but the developers count on users to supply the data. So next time you end up in a public restroom, be sure to do your duty.

I know a lot of you are veteran travelers, so please be sure to share your suggestions in the comments. Oh, and in case you're wondering why I omitted the widely beloved Urban Spoon app, I just find it to be more of a toy than a truly useful tool. That said, it's the first app I show to iPhone newbies, who just love shakin' that thing.

This is the future of music. Or, at least, it should be.

With apologies to my readers who have a hard time watching video from work/phone/etc., I think it would be criminal to talk about the new iPhone app by Nine Inch Nails without including this summary clip:

This is a really practical yet exciting way to spread information about your band while also empowering your listeners to share pictures, reviews, remixes and more.