Blackberry has got your back in an emergency–or, at least, they’ve developed an app for that.
The Personal Guardian app from Blackberry and mobile security start-up SmartGuard sends out a wide-ranging distress single with the push of a button, calling 911 (or a different number of your choice) plus an e-mail, text message or Twitter post with the details of your location. The app is triggered easily and with minimal interfacing: simply press and hold the “convenience button” on the left side of your Blackberry for a few seconds. A vibration will let you know the call/email/text/Twitter S.O.S. has been sent, and the 911 operator is then able to hear whatever is happening on the other end of the phone.
The service is not new–it was previously offered as part of paid SmartGuard software that also blocked calls, texts and malware–but it is newly free. SmarttGuard decided to provide the app free of charge because “it’s something everyone should have,” according to founder and CEO Robert Kao. The app has proven popular in areas with high kidnapping rates, such as Mexico, Nigeria and Venezuela.
An similar app, also free, is being developed for Android devices.
Read more at Gadgetwise.
