CATCHING DANGER WITH YOUR IPHONE

IcePics stands for “in case of emergency pictures.” It’s an iPhone application that lets you tap an icon on the screen to take a picture that is then emailed to your phone contacts in a few seconds. A Google map goes along with the photo, telling the recipients when and where the picture was taken.

This could be a real nuisance to everyone you know if misused, but the main point is defensive:  If you are attacked or in an unfamiliar place where you feel threatened, this provides a nearly instant record of your situation. If you are in an accident or injured and unable to get yourself out, the application will show people your surroundings, and in this case the even more important information of where you are.

The creator of the application suggests telling any attacker what has just been done when you take their picture. Because from that moment forward, their face, time and place are on record and there’s nothing they can do about it; smashing the iPhone will not remove the picture or reverse the process.

The maker of the application suggests that it can also be used to send yourself photos with a push of the on-screen button. It normally takes several steps to send yourself a picture you want to keep and be sure it gets there.

The IcePics application is $3 from icepics.com or the iTunes store. (Note: It is almost certain that this or a similar application will soon be available for other smart phones.)

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