The Cell Phone Junkie

Early in the year, I posted a review of the iHound Software for iPhone, and last month an overview of new features in the version for iOS4 devices. Now, iHound has come out with a Phone and Family tracking service, using geofencing technology to keep track of where your devices are at any given time.  The service also allows you to automatically update your location via Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare automatically, using the GPS data its pulled to keep tabs on your phone.  The service is free to all iHound customers, and has some pretty unique uses.  Keep reading to see how I was able to incorporate some of these automated actions into my daily routine.

Location Sharing Junkie?

Most smartphones now have GPS built-in, and many social networks (like Foursquare and Facebook) are now allowing users to share their exact whereabouts with their network of friends while on the go.  The problem for me, is that I often forget about the services, and won’t realize until I’ve left the venue that I didn’t check in.  For my irregular schedule, this means checkin’s at home, work, and other places would be much easier if they were automated.   For the places you go the most, the iHound Geofencing features allow you to check in automatically when you arrive somewhere.  Email alerts can be set to notify you, or anyone else that you’ve checked in at a certain location.  This can be great for automating all sorts of notifications with friends, family or just general device tracking.

If you want to broadcast your location to your larger public social network via Twitter or Facebook simply opt-in to iHound’s Public Location Network which automatically announces your location and a predetermined message to your entire network.  When you leave the location, another Geofence event is triggered that can send a separate set of private and/or public notifications.  Very flexible.

Tracking Children

You will never have to worry about where your kids are. You can receive a push notification and/or email when your child arrives and leaves school or after school activities. Via iHound’s Geofencing private network, you can give your kids the freedom of not having to reach out to you for their every move, yet always know where they are.

Automatic Reminders
Whether you want your spouse to receive a grocery list upon arrival at the store, or you are going away and want to receive reviews of local establishments upon arrival, geofencing has you covered.  Information can be delivered to you on the go, any time, providing recommendations about where you are and what to do around you via Yelp.  The best restaurants, bars, nightlife, or farmers markets are at your fingertips, delivered to you instantly once you arrive at a predetermined location. These emails and/or Push notifications are private and are part of the opt-in nature of the network, every notification must be selected by the user, and once they are selected, whereabouts may be shared.

Configuring your Geofencing Alerts

When setting up a new Geofence, you have many options and pieces of information to provide.

• Set your Geofence Name
• Enter the address of the place you want to have Entry or Exit triggers for.
• Decide if you want to have a private broadcast message sent to an iOS device, or email.

Then, you need to decide if you want any help from Yelp once you get there, and if any information needs to be sent out to your social networks.

Overall
The use of the iHound software just went from useful to a must have on the iOS.  First, you will have the peace of mind that if you ever do lose your phone, you can find out where it is just by logging into iHound’s site.  Next, you can keep track of any iPhone in your family and know when they are arriving or departing pre-set locations.  Finally, you can keep yourself always checked in to the places you visit most, and notify your friends automatically.  With plans starting at $4 for 3-months, iHound is an incredible value for just about anyone.