Here are some great apps to ring in 2012

Some of you will ring in the new year at a party, while others spend it with a quiet night at home. But whatever your plans, some Smartphone apps will keep you connected wherever you are.

Do you want to watch the Times Square ball drop this New Year's Eve while you're on the go?

The Times Square Official Ball app [1]  puts you right in the center of all the action- just by tapping your smartphone.  This app is free and can be downloaded for Android or the iPhone.

Want to see what celebrations are kicking off around the rest of the world?

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the New Year's Live app [2] , you can watch major cities throughout the world celebrate. The app features 16 live webcams in the US and 15 more worldwide. This app is 99 cents to download on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch.

After a few cocktails that night, you may want to see if it's safe to drive yourself back home. BreathalEyes uses the iPhone camera to measure your blood alcohol content by scanning your eye.  The software is looking for the presence of HGN, a jerky eye movement detected in field sobriety tests.

Parma Police Det. Marty Compton says the app shouldn't be taken too seriously. Accurately measuring how drunk someone is through the HGN test takes skill and a lot of training.

Compton says he would not put a lot of faith in the BreathalEyes [3] app, rather use it for entertainment purposes,  like it says to on its website.

If you don't want to take a chance on driving drunk, 'Come get me', by AlldayApps, provides a map of your location as soon as you send your Come get me [4] message to a friend. That message can be sent via iPhone, Android or Windows mobile.  

You can also get the Free Ride Home app if you have any of those 3 devices. Free Ride Home [5] uses your current location to find a sober driver program in the area. These programs often offer free rides or discounted prices. All you have to do is enter your city, state and zip code.

Do some research before the big night to see if authorities in your area are offering free ride programs on New Year's Eve.

Detective Marty Compton says the Parma Safe Ride Home [6] Program  offers free rides home to intoxicated Parma residents that night.

Just ask the bartender if they are one of the participating bars or restaurants in the program, and they should call your ride home. Happy New Year!

WKYC-TV

You Might Be Interested In

Links

1. ^{^} The Times Square Official Ball app (app.timessquareball.net)
2. ^{^} New Year's Live app (itunes.apple.com)
3. ^{^} BreathalEyes (itunes.apple.com)
4. ^{^} Come get me (itunes.apple.com)
5. ^{^} Free Ride Home (www.freeridehome.com)
6. ^{^} Parma Safe Ride Home (www.cityofparmapolice.com)

source: www.wkyc.com