Free App Helps Conserve Bites On Your Data-Slurping Smartphone
By Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - For many of us, it seems like ages since we've been worried about going over cell phone voice minutes. These days, it's all about data: most wireless companies slow down your connection if you use too much. A new crop of apps aims to help.
Onavo is free for iPhone and Android. CEO Guy Rosen says, "It helps you avoid overage fees. It helps you avoid getting throttled by the latest changes in how operators are providing their data plans."
It works by routing your app use, browsing, and streaming through their servers, "In the background, your mobile data usage is compressed, so you actually get as much as five times more value out of the data plan." One way is by lowering the image quality on data-hungry photos.
You also get a report that shows what surfing habits have been slurping up your allotment of megabytes.
Some would raise privacy concerns over the way Onavo works, but Rosen says, "Everything is done completely anonymously. We really don't seek or know or want to know what people are actually doing."
