Orange uses smartphones to release the good in people

Look at them, being all smug. Now you can be too with your iPhone!
Look at them, being all smug. Now you can be too with your iPhone!

Orange has launched its 'Do Some Good' application, designed to get the UK working to help out charitable causes through their smartphone.

The premise is simple – users download the app (currently only available on the iPhone and iPad, with more platforms coming later in the year) and then choose a range of simple tasks to do using their phone.

These can be location specific (snapping a nearby playground for inclusion on a play map or highlighting run down gardens for Guerrilla Gardeners to overhaul) to taking part in a survey for the Samaritans to help increase understanding of wellbeing.

Whizzing into action

Orange has surveyed 1,311 adults and found that nearly three quarters would be willing to donate their time via this application while doing mundane things, like waiting for a kettle to boil, a meeting to start or simply spending some time on the toilet (we assume that latter category is for the chaps).

And as more of an incentive, other than having a few more items in your positive column at the pearly gates, if you complete 60 actions you'll be eligible for Orange's RockCorps event, which rewards users giving up their time with a free concert of popular artists.

Head on over to Orange's dedicated Do Some Good website to find out if it's something you could spend your time do, or if you're on an iOS device it's available for free from the App Store.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.