Burner App for Android Hits the Google Play Store
Anybody remember that whole short-lived spark over the Burner app for iPhone? Yeah, it took me a minute to remember that the app even existed until I heard it became available for Android owners Wednesday. It's not that I totally wrote it off, I just never really had a use for it.
But Burner certainly has its place in certain circles, like the online dating world, for one. I can think of a few other uses for it, too, like maybe when you're trying to avoid Craigslist killers or something.
Burner for Android should function pretty much in the same fashion as its iPhone counterpart. So here's how it works. Once you download the app, you get to choose from a selection of plans based on the number of minutes and texts you might need for a given situation. You can create new digits through the Burner app and then they'll basically self-destruct when you've used them up.
At the low end of the price scale (otherwise known as a "Mini Burner") each new string of numbers is good for 20 minutes, 60 texts or seven days. Which is to say, it's just enough time for you to have a fling and then be completely done with it (there's an app for that too). Because isn't that what online dating is all about?
Let me be clear here, Burner does not market itself as a dating app. But let's not pretend people aren't using it in this way. It's the entire reason dodgy apps like Snapchat even exist in the first place: flirtatious fun without the accountability (except for that whole part where your privacy is one big fat lie). Burner can easily target this audience while still maintaining some level of digital dignity, because it's not directly intended to get you all hot n' bothered.
Here's what I originally said when Burner for iPhone first hit the App Store:
"While the concept isn't exactly novel, the application is. Most of us have been in at least one situation where we'd like to fork over a temporary number, namely in uncomfortable bar settings and digital dating. And, as the company points out in its blog, just think of how handy these temporary phone numbers will be for one-time deals like seedy (our words, not theirs) Craigslist transactions."
There's certainly still value in that. I, for one, get paranoid as all get out whenever I attempt to sell my old gadgets on Craigslist (probably I should stop watching local news and like, man up or whatever). But I'd like to see some stats on how often Burner gets used in less than savory ways. Pranks. Dates. Extramarital affairs. (It should be noted here that the company's privacy policy notes the right to disclose your personal data in the event that it's required by law.)
Honestly, I just can't conjure too many normal situations where I would need disposable numbers on the regular. But hey, maybe you can. Weigh in and let us know what you think. Have you tried Burner for Android or iPhone?
Article Credit: http://www.thefullsignal.com
But Burner certainly has its place in certain circles, like the online dating world, for one. I can think of a few other uses for it, too, like maybe when you're trying to avoid Craigslist killers or something.
Burner for Android should function pretty much in the same fashion as its iPhone counterpart. So here's how it works. Once you download the app, you get to choose from a selection of plans based on the number of minutes and texts you might need for a given situation. You can create new digits through the Burner app and then they'll basically self-destruct when you've used them up.
At the low end of the price scale (otherwise known as a "Mini Burner") each new string of numbers is good for 20 minutes, 60 texts or seven days. Which is to say, it's just enough time for you to have a fling and then be completely done with it (there's an app for that too). Because isn't that what online dating is all about?
Let me be clear here, Burner does not market itself as a dating app. But let's not pretend people aren't using it in this way. It's the entire reason dodgy apps like Snapchat even exist in the first place: flirtatious fun without the accountability (except for that whole part where your privacy is one big fat lie). Burner can easily target this audience while still maintaining some level of digital dignity, because it's not directly intended to get you all hot n' bothered.
Here's what I originally said when Burner for iPhone first hit the App Store:
"While the concept isn't exactly novel, the application is. Most of us have been in at least one situation where we'd like to fork over a temporary number, namely in uncomfortable bar settings and digital dating. And, as the company points out in its blog, just think of how handy these temporary phone numbers will be for one-time deals like seedy (our words, not theirs) Craigslist transactions."
There's certainly still value in that. I, for one, get paranoid as all get out whenever I attempt to sell my old gadgets on Craigslist (probably I should stop watching local news and like, man up or whatever). But I'd like to see some stats on how often Burner gets used in less than savory ways. Pranks. Dates. Extramarital affairs. (It should be noted here that the company's privacy policy notes the right to disclose your personal data in the event that it's required by law.)
Honestly, I just can't conjure too many normal situations where I would need disposable numbers on the regular. But hey, maybe you can. Weigh in and let us know what you think. Have you tried Burner for Android or iPhone?
Article Credit: http://www.thefullsignal.com
