In Case Of Emergancy

Essential aps and accessories for your personal safety and wellbeing.

Spotnsave

Many times, when faced with personal threat, it becomes almost impossible to take the smartphone out from your pocket or handbag unlock it and send out an emergency message. In such situations the spotNsave wristband could make all the difference in broadcasting that crucial SMS with your location data to loved ones.

  This wearable technology - comprising a rechargeable Bluetooth module housed within a soft silicon wrist band - connects to the free spotNsave app that you will need to install on your phone. Like it is with all SOS apps, you can key in up to five emergency contacts.

  Once paired with a handset users can use the band to send out distress messages by pressing a discrete button on it three times in succession while making sure that they are within Bluetooth range of their phones.

  The app sends out a message to your contacts along with your real-time location at regular intervals. And once your 'guardians' have your co-ordinates the app leads them to you with turn-by-turn driving directions on Google maps (the app uses cell-tower triangulation and the GPS service on your handset to do this).

  spotNsave also sends your contacts a notification when your battery runs out or you go out of network range. In our tests we found the app and the band worked really well letting our guardians trace our route across the length of Mumbai with an accuracy of up to 20 metres radius.
Android | Free (iOS and Windows Phone coming soon)
Buy from: www.spotnsave.com
Price: Rs.2,300 (including shipping)

Bsafe

bSafe is a slickly-designed app that lets you share your location with friends and family (who will also need to gave the app installed on their phones). In an emergency a single tap of the "Alert Guardians" button sets off a really loud alarm - overriding the handset's silent mode - on yours as well as your guardian's device.

  The app transmits your location information while activating the camera flash (if found) and announcing in a booming voice that it is sending audio, video captures. This is meant to deter any attacker and scare him or her off.

  Recordings are uploaded to bSafe servers and a text message with  a link to these files is sent to the guardians only.

  They can also be requested to 'virtually follow' you - when you're commuting alone - to ensure you reach your destination safely. If you are lost, your bSafe friends can get to you with the help of "Navigate" button on the dashboard.
Android, iOS | Free

Family GPS Tracker

This tracker application is for families, allowing parents to keep an eye on their children's whereabouts.

  While both parties need to have the app installed it is the parents who need to register with the service first. Adults can then monitor their kids' whereabouts and even send in-app messages. Children on the other hand can trigger SOS alerts during an emergency. There is also an option to create "geo-fences" on the map-categorised as safe and unsafe - so that parents can be notified when children move in to or out of any of these zones.

  Interestingly you can use FGT to set challenges (or delegate chores) to your kids, who are then rewarded with motivational points and badges from the app on completion of the task. The only downside in that FGT sends an in-app SOS making it necessary for all family members to have a working data connection at all times.
Android, iOS | Free

Eyewatch

Like bSafe, Eyewatch records audio and video along with location data. Media captured by the app is stored on Eyewatch servers and can only be accessed with a pass code. This code is sent as a text message and an e-mail to the contacts fed into the app. On entering the code, the guardian gets to see where you are on the map in real-time, know what kind of alert you have triggered - whether Medical Security or Personal - watch the recordings and even know your battery and network status. You can even login to this page to download the files even after the sender has deactivated the emergency signal.

  The app performs all its actions quickly and in our tests it worked really well; but unlike bSafe, it lacks a polished and intuitive user interface. Additionally, Eyewatch is free to use only for the first nine alerts.
Android, BB 8.7.1, iOS, Nokia Symbian | Free

First Aid - American Red Cross

In case of an accident your phone can also be used for first-aid solutions. Of course, the helpline number - 911 - is specific to the US, but the rest of the information and procedures  (with illustrations and video) can be followed by all. For example, in answer to a question about whether a wound should be washed or not it says that wounds from minor cuts an grazes should be washed, but cuts that are bleeding heavily should not be washed because that affects clotting and doesn't stop blood flow. The best part about First Aid is that all its data is stored locally. So even if your handset is not connected to the web, the app functions just fine.
Android, iOS | Free