Microsoft launches Guardian safety app for Windows Phone users in India
Technology Current Affairs: December 2013
>> Microsoft
India on Thursday said it has introduced Guardian, a new safety application,
available exclusively for Windows Phone users in India.
>> Incidents
such as 'Nirbhaya' prompted the global IT giant to come out with an app aiming
at protecting women, Microsoft IT India Managing Director Raj Biyani said.
>> Explaining
its features, Biyani said Guardian enables users to switch on a 'track me'
feature in the app that lets friends and family track them in real-time using
Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services and Bing Map APIs.
>> Guardian
users can call for help through an 'SOS' alert button and also connect to
security agencies, police and hospitals easily via this app in times of
distress.
>>The
app was developed over six months by a group of enthusiastic Microsoft
employees in India, within the Microsoft Garage. Microsoft Garage is a global
employee innovation initiative that gives Microsoft employees an outlet to
explore ideas in their free time, Biyani said.
>>"Our
employees wanted to do something to enable people to feel safer in our cities.
So they used their spare time to develop Guardian. It is a robust personal
security app with more safety features and capabilities than any other
comparable app available to Indian smartphone users today," Biyani told reporters
after launching the App.
>>To
use Guardian effectively, users need to add the names of friends, family
members and security groups to the settings and in an emergency situation, the
app can be used to alert them, via the SOS button. All the user has to do is
tap the SOS button, a Microsoft official said.
>>"The
phone then sends a distress SMS to all buddy mobiles, notifying them of the
emergency along with location details. At the same time the SOS button also
sends emails to buddy email IDs and posts to private Facebook groups, if
registered," the press release said.
>> Guardian
uses Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services and Bing Map APIs extensively and
can help security authorities and medical teams track the user. The phone can
be traced even if it is broken. The application is capable of one touch video
recording that may be used later as evidence, the press release added.
>> The
Guardian app is available exclusively for Windows Phone users. It can be
downloaded at here.
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