App Roundup: Stylishly Social or Antisocial

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girlTECH brings you the latest Apps, Hot off the press:

This week the girlTECH App Roundup has some of the hot new phone tech to share.  The theme is all social – with a fun new app to keep up with those you do (or don’t) care to cross paths with.  This week we also share a few new apps to help you look your best, try out a latest uber hip technology look before committing to it, and travel in style… Come check them all out:

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a free mobile app that helps users to avoid friends and acquaintances. The US-developed app uses location data and check-ins from social networks (including Foursquare and Instagram), to plot the most recent location of people’s ‘friends’. Cloak then sends an alert when any pre-selected individuals are nearby.  

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It pays to be social!  Travel BONUS for being a Social Media influencer- yay.

hotelied Discounts based on social media popularity Beta-launched in the US during April 2014, Hotelied offers discounts on luxury hotel stays to influential travelers with social media clout. Via a Hotelied account (linked to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles), travelers can access deals relative to their popularity and influence, and tailored to individual travel plans. Hotels can also create specific discounts or target particular travel groups based on industry or regularity of travel. All the hotels featured on Hotelied have a rating of at least four stars.

By pulling together a member’s frequent flier and hotel loyalty programs as well as their LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles, with Instagram to follow soon, Hotelied matches individual members with the best unpublished offers made available exclusively for them. Through the proprietary dashboard, hotel partners designate which traveler segments gain access to specific and exclusive rates. Based on its specific needs, a hotel may be targeting guests who work in specific industries, loyal travelers, frequent travelers, guests with high social media followings, and more. Each hotel’s dashboard is different, which presents every Hotelied member with different and exclusive rates at various hotels. Hotelied keeps all member information completely confidential.

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OK, this one scares me bc I “like” many photos. I made sure I wasn’t following them on Instagram.

us vogue Magazine’s social media followers tap ‘Like’ to buy In May 2014, US Vogue became the first print magazine to make its Instagram images shoppable. Using affiliate sales platform LiketoKnow.it, Vogue’s Instagram followers automatically receive an email with links to purchase products featured (or similar items) when they ‘Like’ an image. http://instagram.com/voguemagazine

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Don’t let your “friends” talk you into that glittery blue eyeshadow. 

AR-equipped mirror allows shoppers to test out cosmetics Last month, Sephora announced the launch of a 3D augmented reality mirror in the beauty retailer’s Milan store. Created by beauty technology developer Modiface, the mirror simulates cosmetics on shoppers’ faces in real time. Via a touchscreen interface, customers can tap to try on different products such as lipstick or eyeshadow, with the mirror automatically tracking the precise of location of facial features. The device is free to use. Hope it comes to the US soon.

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 Trial styles: so you choose your look before committing

Google Glass launches try-before-you-buy program Google Glass In April 2014, Google Glass launched a pilot program allowing US customers to try on a pair of the glasses at home before actually purchasing them. Potential ‘Explorers’ receive four different types of frames in various colors, so that they can see how to device suits them. The samples are non-functioning, in that the USB port has been deactivated to prevent the units from being powered up and used. The try-on units also include pre-paid shipping labels so that trial participants can easily return them. I think this program was started in response to the many returns.

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