SMARTER STRATEGIES

'Freddy,' Zombies and Other Assorted Ghouls Get Hi-Tech Halloween Treatment

Dennis McCafferty | Date: 10-20-10 | Comments

Phone apps and interactive sites promise to keep better tabs on trick-or-treaters, scare friends and even come up with a Halloween costume that isn�t lame.

Monsters go mobile. Parents play �trick or track.� And you may need a Web cam to view your next Halloween card. This month�s ghoulish holiday is seeing no shortage of innovative, tech-supported apps and products in the interest of safety�and fun. Here are several that caught our eye.

Keeping tabs on the kids. TrickorTracker is a smartphone app that allows parents to stay on top of where their kids are, without having to follow along in a car (the latter of which can be dangerous, given the potential for a driver to get distracted by watching his or her kids while other trick-or-treating children are crossing the street). It provides updates on the location of the child to the parent, who can then send messages to the child. The app also comes with a phone-screen lighting �flashlight� feature to help illuminate the child�s path. TrickorTracker requires that the child use an Android OS phone, but any phone that can load Google maps is fine for the parent. The app, from Iconosys, is free for Halloween, but will cost $20 afterward.

Also. the free Family GPS Tracker and Safety Center from Life360 allows parents to see where their kids are; who is around them; and when they need help. It has been ranked as the top free app in AppStore�s �Utility� category.

Phone apps for fun and games. Halloween is a time for parties and old-fashioned silliness, after all. And app developers are more than happy to add to the frightful celebrations. The popular board/TV game, Scene It?, has come up with a special �horror� version of its game for iPhone/iPod/iPad, featuring clips from �Friday the 13th,� �Nightmare on Elm Street,� �The Exorcist,� �Shutter Island,� �Psycho� and other classic films. The app starts at $1.99 and also features a �Scream Machine� bonus sound board so you can scare the heck out of your friends. Of course, there�s nothing better than a bunch of zombies for pure kitsch, which is why PopCap Games� recent smash game for iPhone and iPad, Plants vs. Zombies, is perfect for this month�s holiday. The premise: Zombies have invaded your lawn and head to your door. To defeat them, you must plant a wide range of lovable mutant flowers, vines and trees from cherry bombs to peashooters. Your �opponents� even include a zombie bobsled team. The game starts at $2.99.

High-tech greeting cards will be delivering spooks this Halloween.

Traditional cards go Webcam-friendly. Hallmark is debuting its Webcam Greetings line of Halloween cards, using the latest in augmented reality technology. Starting at $2.99, the cards allow the recipient to view a 3D animated feature by going online and holding the greeting card up to a Web camera. The technology �breathes� a digital life into the card. The animation tracks with the movement of the card�no matter which way the card is turned�so the animation will rotate along in full 3D. Animated content features characters from Disney Princesses, Scooby Doo and Marvel Comics, among others.

Stuck on a costume idea? If so, then interactive and social media sites are happy to help out. Traackr.com is monitoring trends on costumes, parties, decorations and other needs at a special link, so users can mine the content for �hip� suggestions. Polyvore.com allows users to create Halloween costume ideas using a virtual styling tool. Polyvore�s global community has created more than 20 million fashion sets that are shared across the site, and its user-generated fashion campaigns have been judged by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

Which of these high-tech tools will you be using this Halloween? Let us know in the comments section below.