Geolocation has probably gotten you out of a lots of tight spots when it comes to getting oriented. Now imagine making that geolocation data visible in real time within a closed grouped and you come up with tools as interesting as Zenly. This free app lets you view friends’ positions on a map, as well as their battery status or their latest detected position. “What’s that good for?” you ask. Well, if you think about it, lots of things.
The basic idea behind Zenly is to share your location so that your map pops up when you cross paths with a friend in the same area (though whether you want to permanently expose yourself like that is another matter entirely). But beyond that, it could be a good tracking tool for making sure a loved one arrives to her destination safe and sound. And once it’s set up you can even locate a lost or stolen Android, although this feature is practically the same as the localization system included by default on the operating system.
To use the app you need to register with a phone number and, as is logical, activate the device’s GPS so it can detect your location. But you can still limit what info you share – you could share your exact location or just your city with no more details. Could be an interesting way to find out if someone’s travelling without having to meddle too much in their personal affairs. And obviously you can hide any information you want from a particular contact.
