How To: Text and Walk at the Same Time More Safely with These Mobile Apps

Texting is a godsend to mobile devices, but it also has its caveats. Sending a text to someone requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention—looking at what you're typing, holding the phone steady, and thinking about what you're trying to say. So, texting while doing pretty much anything else is not a wise move.

I've tried eating a hamburger while texting and ended up missing my mouth—and I didn't have any napkins. A lady once tried texting while walking in the mall, and we all know what happened to her...

The funniest part of that story is that she actually tried to sue the mall.

How dare they place a water fountain in the middle of a mall?!?

Well, lucky for us (and not very lucky for her), there's a new app for your Android smartphone called Walking Text (free).

This app allows users with a camera to preview their surroundings while typing an SMS message. While there have been other apps that do the same thing, such as Walk and Text Transparent, Smart WalkNText, and Samsung's Road SMS, Walking Text is completely free and much easier to use.

With a transparent keyboard, you can efficiently text and walk with a clear picture of where your feet are and what's ahead of you. What also sets the app apart from the rest is battery consumption. A huge problem for these type of applications is exorbitant battery waste, but Walking Text gets rid of that completely.

Now you don't have to worry about dropping your Samsung Galaxy S III or Note II in some water fountain at the mall. Not only will you ruin a good phone, but you'll ruin a pristine reputation and forever be known as that person that fell into the water fountain at the mall. Not good.

If you want to maximize your texting and walking abilities, maybe you should learn some of the fundamental rules of texting safety and etiquette, too, as briefly explained by Casey Neistat.

If you've got an iPhone and need a walking/texting app, there's WalkNText, Walk N Text, Walk & Type HD, and countless others, but they all cost $0.99. There are some free ones, like Walk & Type HD Lite and Type n Walk, but there's not much to say about them.

PS. I love Walking Text's homage to The Walking Dead. Awesome.