Using a smartphone – VI
I’m loving my HTC Desire more and more. The last app I want to mention is X3Watch.
It wasn’t long before I realised that my smartphone could do stacks more than be a phone. One of the applications I’ve got running on my laptop and desktop is Covenant Eyes, an accountability program for internet usage. That’s a polite way of saying, having a mate watching over your should so you don’t look at porn. It tracks what sites I go to and every fortnight sends a report to a mate and, if necessary, flags potentially inappropriate content. This is a fantastic tool because there is something about human accountability that sometimes is more motivating that knowing God is watching. More than that, it isn’t a filter and doesn’t just give present a big warning sign on the computer. Rather, it encourages conversation with a real person, which is a much better way to confess and deal with sin as it arises.
Since installing Covenant Eyes I have only had problems when downloading Ubuntu (a Linux platform) which was easy to explain. More encouraging though was that the process works, my mate called and asked me what it was.
Covenant Eyes isn’t available for Android, only iPhones. X3Watch does. In fact, it has a free version for PC, Mac and iPhone. I had to pay for the Android version. However, I consider this a small price to pay for accountability it brings me. In the notification bar at the top of the screen is ‘X3′, a continual reminder of it’s presence on my phone.
It’s deliberately hard to uninstall and bypass, though if you were determined enough to, I’m sure it’s possible. It reflects the depravity of our hearts. I want to encourage you as strongly as I can, to deliberately choose to get something like this, to help reduce the temptation of pornography.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)