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T-Mobile updates FamilyWhere location tracking service for worrisome parents
It was never intended as such, but The Rolling Stones' song Under My Thumb could easily pass as the anthem of overbearing parents across the globe. Now, T-Mobile is tossing its paranoid constituents a bone with an updated version of its FamilyWhere lineup. First onto the platform is FamilyWhere Check In, a free app that lets kids manually send their location to family members, which is delivered as a web link within a text message. The carrier's more robust application, known as FamilyWhere Locate, is a $10/mo subscription service that automatically provides location tracking for up to ten devices. Here, doting parents (and untrusting spouses) can keep tabs on their family via a web browser or the FamilyWhere app, and may choose to have regular location updates delivered via SMS or email. Now all you have to do is slap DriveSmart onto your kids' phones, and they're certain to resent you forever.
T-Mobile intros DriveSmart Plus service to block texting while driving, FamilyWhere to track down your kids
The texting-while-driving epidemic is starting to get a lot of carrier attention, and T-Mobile's taking it to the next level today by throwing its weight behind a new subscription-based upgrade to the DriveSmart app that's been available on the LG Optimus T since launch. DriveSmart Plus runs $4.99 a month for all lines on your account (provided the lines are attached to compatible devices) and upgrades the basic DriveSmart app by automatically detecting when your car's in motion -- no need to enable it by hand -- at which point incoming calls are automatically sent to voicemail and incoming text messages are met with an automatic response that the recipient is currently driving. Naturally, there's an emergency override built-in -- but to make sure young drivers aren't abusing it, DriveSmart offers parents the option of being contacted by text or email when it's overridden and can let them monitor overall phone usage through a web interface. The service is only available on the Optimus T initially, but more hardware support is "coming soon." On a related note, T-Mobile is also introducing FamilyWhere, matching similar services already offered by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint by letting parents see where their young'uns are and set up customized alerts by location and time; it's apparently compatible with "nearly any type" of phone on the T-Mobile network, so you shouldn't need to equip the tykes with superphones just to get this action set up. It runs $9.99 a month and covers all the lines on your account; follow the break for both press releases.
