Software turns GPS phone into 'emergency beacon'

By Stephen Withers
Friday, 09 November 2007 02:06

Mobility

A new application for GPS smartphones can report the user's location when things go wrong.

Designed for Symbian handsets such as the Nokia 6110 Navigator, phantomEye's MySpot will in the event of an emergency have the company's server automatically call up to 20 numbers and send email, SMS, IM and Twitter messages including the user's most recent location.

A single number is also automatically dialled directly from the handset.

MySpot can be used as a 'panic button' to send alerts at the user's instigation, which may be useful for those who risk duress yet may have the opportunity to trigger an alert by sliding the phone open and pressing a single button.

More widely applicable is the ability to notify others when a countdown timer expires. This mode is relevant to a wide range of activities including outdoor pursuits such as bushwalking or fishing, workers required to make house calls, or mobile security guards. It may also be of interest to parents of teenage children.

"While an increasing number of mobile phones use GPS navigation for a variety of functions, most often to give map location information and directions to the person using the phone. MySpot works in reverse – it allows a pre determined group of recipients to keep track of, and locate, the user," said phantomEye chairman Ken Stokes.

"We expect majority of MySpot sales to come from Europe where, for example, there are more than 1 million Nokia 6110 phones in circulation so we believe MySpot will eventually have a very large global market indeed," he added.

The MySpot software costs $A30. Pay as you go service charges also apply for messages sent and received by the server.