Jacob Hall, Editor-in-Chief of TapSauce | APPS | 10.12.2011 @ 9:30 am
TransTalk: Welcome to the Socially Conscious edition of Cool New Apps, where we’ll examine a few apps that make the world a better place and/or help us live in a more free, enlightened society (cue the abacuses and poetry pamphlets!). Did you know that the Army has its own personal app store for soldiers? Well, it does! In fact, the United States Military is taking smartphone technology very seriously, even going so far as to test iPhone and Android phones in the field to see how they function as practical navigation and communication equipment. App developer Raytheon has been working on a new translation app specifically for soldiers that will translate English into Arabic, Dari and Pashto, with an emphasis on phrases that are commonly used between soldiers and civilians in the Middle East. The app hasn’t been approved for inclusion in the Army’s app store yet, but it’s obvious why such a tool would prove infinitely useful. How many lives can be saved and how many problems can be solved if we remove miscommunication from the equation?
Your Main Reminder: Next up, we have an app created by Rethink Breast Cancer, which offers up helpful reminders for women to check themselves for breast cancer. However, as the name implies, the reminder is supplied by the “hot man” of your choice. Choices include “the boy next door”, “the sports jock” and “the smooth heartbreaker.” The app will also supply information on how to properly examine yourself for breast cancer and offer direct links visit a doctor, if necessary. If caught early, breast cancer is one of the most treatable cancers, mainly because the warning signs show up a long time before things get too nasty. If it takes a humorous app that exploits the bodies of hot men (When will men stop being objects to women? We have more to offer than our finely sculpted rear ends, you know!) to save lives, then how can we possibly argue?