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Carriers have to let you text 911 by the end of the year
You've had the option of texting 911 in a handful of US cities for a couple of months, thanks in part to voluntary efforts from bigger cellphone carriers. However, the FCC doesn't want you to be left out solely because you're on a smaller network. The agency has just adopted rules requiring that all American wireless providers have the capability for text-to-911 by the end of the year. You won't necessarily get emergency messaging by that point, but carriers will have six months to implement it in a given region if a local call center makes a request.
Emergency app triggers panic after false alarm warns of impending quake
Just after noon on Monday, thousands of Mexico City residents evacuated their office buildings and filled the streets thanks to a warning from the SkyAlert emergency app. The alert warned of a "strong earthquake" that was just seconds away from striking, and the app's official Twitter account even repeated the message. That would have been a great warning, if it were true, but now the company behind the app is doing its best to apologize for the false alarm. SkyAlert's first defense was to point a finger at the country's official quake warning system, CIRES, before eventually admitting that they themselves were to blame. That admission is of little value to those who had their day interrupted by a dire warning that turned out to be false, but if you've ever worked in an office setting, you know how exciting a little drama in your workday can be... even if it's an app erroneously telling you that your life is at risk.
Get emergency iPhone-to-iPhone connections with GoTenna
In October of 2012, a huge swath of the northeastern US got smacked by Hurricane Sandy. Adding to the post-storm challenges of power, transport, fuel supply and housing shortages, the communications infrastructure suffered major outages that made recovery and response even harder. With up to 25% of New York City's cell towers inoperative, even a charged phone might as well have been stone dead. It was the experience of Sandy that sparked Brooklyn's sibling entrepreneurs Daniela and Jorge Perdomo to create GoTenna, the new grid-independent mobile wireless device for emergencies and more. The GoTenna device -- a slim, gray, waterproof plastic external antenna/transceiver about the size of a campground butane lighter -- connects iPhones to each other for text and location messaging even when there's no cell service available. Today's pre-order launch allows early buyers to get a pair of GoTennas for $149.99, a 50% discount off of the retail price when they ship in late autumn 2014. GoTenna CEO Daniela Perdomo told TUAW that living through the hurricane made it clear to her and her brother how valuable a truly grid-free communications tool would be to supplement conventional wireless coverage in an emergency. First responders, insurance adjusters, NGOs/relief workers and plain old citizens or disaster preppers living in high-risk areas (Tornado Alley, the Gulf Coast) may indeed be looking for that "portable insurance policy" of having a GoTenna in a go bag or glove compartment, but there are several applications for the device beyond getting ready for the end of the world. Think of all the times when it would be helpful to connect with friends or family in spite of poor or unavailable cell coverage. Traveling overseas and want to avoid roaming charges? Unable to get through in a parade or festival crowd? Concerned that a particular text exchange might invite undue scrutiny from your carrier or the Feds? GoTenna's point to point architecture, lack of a central server and end to end encryption for messages might fit the bill. The GoTenna app also includes preloadable offline maps, custom-developed by the company, that allow you to visualize your location or a friend's without needing access to Apple or Google's maps, or the expensive licensing of maps from an existing provider. With a Bluetooth LE pairing to your iPhone, the GoTenna should last about 72 hours in average use and will stay charged on the shelf for over a year; it recharges via a standard Micro USB connector that you could hook up to your BioLite camp stove or other mains-free charger. (John Levy, the BioLite board chairman, is also an advisor/ investor for GoTenna.) With a 9600 bps data rate more akin to the modems of yesteryear than the LTE chipsets of today, you won't be sending any selfies or cat videos through GoTenna -- but that's not really the point. The devices also can't form a mesh network due to current FCC rules, so for now it's point-to-point only; however, you can send a "shout" message to any friends with GoTennas in range, or issue an emergency message that will go to all nearby GoTennas whether they "know" you or not. As the GoTenna gets closer to production, we'll revisit and review the product in the field to find out just how effective it is in urban and rural settings.
90 percent of 911 calls made in Washington, DC lacked accurate location info
Data pulled from a recent Freedom of Information Act request reveals that an overwhelming majority of 911 wireless calls made over a six-month period last year in Washington, DC were delivered "without accurate location information to find callers who are lost, confused, unconscious or otherwise unable to share their location." Only ten percent of calls from the first half of 2013 within the city included detailed location data. At the moment, FCC regulations demand higher location accuracy only on outdoor calls, making built-up areas like DC harder to hone in on. Public safety officials told the Washington Post that these location issues are widespread.
Key fob phone alerts friends that you need help with the press of a button
You know how establishments have hidden emergency buttons to call the police? There's a new device called the ECHO Urgent Messenger that's something like that, except it's a tiny one-button emergency phone that you can attach to a keychain, so you can call for help whenever needed. According to the device's Indiegogo page (where its creators are trying to raise $5,000 to start production), ECHO sends a message to the company's urgent care staff and to all your authorized contacts when you press the emergency button. Yes, you can include anyone you want, whether you have them as a phone or email contact or even as a Facebook friend. This message will apparently contain your location within five feet, as determined by GPS, GLONASS and cell tower triangulation.
Daily App: ActivBeacon offers to call for help if you have a sports injury
ActivBeacon is an interesting idea for active people who fall down and need assistance. Using the built-in iPhone sensors, the app sends a voice or text message to designated family or friends and gives them your GPS location. The developers ask you to think of it like Onstar for sports. You start by signing up for a free account using email or Facebook. You then customize settings and choose your fall sensitivity as you don't want a slight spill causing the app to make emergency calls. Then you add your emergency contacts, and you are good to go. Settings include a session pause interval. You can set it anywhere from 5-30 minutes.. after that interval, the phone will make an emergency call if it detects no movement. The app requires the iPhone to be physically in a pocket for this technology to work, and if you set your phone down you will get false positives. That won't endear you to friends who are on your emergency call list. The app is ad-supported, but you can buy an option for no ads for 12 months for U.S. $4.99. Usually ads are tolerable, but these pop-up full screen and are incredibly intrusive. I think the developers may have over played their hand with these ads... if you don't dismiss the ad it takes you to the iOS App Store to buy whatever is being advertised. I understand the need for revenue, but this level of advertising injected into an otherwise well designed app is really inexcusable. The app does work as stated, and I can see it being really useful, especially to skiers, cyclists, runners, or anyone who is active and not in a group. Its utility is limited by connectivity -- if you are deep in the wilderness, you may not have a cell connection and the app won't be able to reach out for help. Upon using ActivBeacon, it immediately came to mind that similar technology might be helpful for elderly people, and in fact the company offers CareBeacon which is designed for just that purpose. ActivBeacon is a good idea for the outdoor enthusiast who prefers solo adventures. The concept for the app is a solid one; though, I think the developers should find a better way to integrate ads. ActivBeacon requires iOS 7 or later. It's not universal and is designed for an iPhone.
Virtual reality training for rescuers may save your life in a crisis
While some soldiers have virtual reality training to familiarize themselves with the battlefield, paramedics and other rescuers are out of luck; their first crisis is frequently all too real. Intelligent Decisions isn't happy with that lack of preparation, so it's developing a VR system that gives first responders a taste of what it's like to handle major emergencies. Its upcoming Medical Simulation thrusts trainees into chaotic situations like natural disasters and terrorist attacks, teaching these people to maintain focus and treat those who need the most help. The hardware can incorporate actors and mannequins into computer-generated scenes, and it will have sensors for blood pressure, heart rate and gaze to verify that crews are staying cool under pressure.
Emergensee is a security system in your hand
I remember walking around my college campus late at night, not long after campuses had begun to install the "blue light" boxes for security. Essentially an emergency phone that immediately dialed campus security, these were great if you happened to be near one. Of course, today everyone has a cell phone in their pocket. But who do you call in an emergency? More likely, who do you notify if you are just concerned, walking alone at night and perhaps not under immediate threat? This is just one problem in which EmergenSee, an app and service, looks to solve. EmergenSee is a free-to-download app for iPhone and Android. The core product is very simple: Launch the app and begin transmitting audio, video and GPS coordinates to EmergenSee's servers, where the data is recorded. The service allows you to specify contacts so you can also alert family members or others (up to three). For US$8.99 a month you get access to a 24/7 response center, where they can coordinate not only first responders but also alert them to your exact position and warn them in advance of medical conditions. Young or old, the potential for EmergenSee to assist is enormous, as you are sending audio and video and your location to a remote center staffed 24/7 with a response team. EmergenSee is fast. I saw video uploads that were available almost instantly, plus the "call" goes straight to whomever it needs to. EmergenSee is already in use at some schools, which can customize the system to alert the campus police. This small aspect is actually a big deal if you run any sort of institution (a hospital, college, etc.). Knowing who to contact when you don't necessarily need to contact 911 is a very big deal. Having a record of what's going on is also a very big deal, and EmergenSee does a terrific job of creating a record of events the moment you need it. Not only that, but the app will also send notifications to family members or anyone you wish when you report an incident, and it does so instantly. Speaking of the moment you need it, those blue light phones? Studies show they aren't very effective. EmergenSee, on the other hand, tracks and records every incident and you can access those later. The cloud aspect of this is quite important, as having a persistent log of incidents could be beneficial in bullying or other scenarios. In terms of design, EmergenSee is super simple and that's a good thing. A big red button is all you need to start an incident. Here's an instance where "widgets" or buttons for apps on the iOS lock screen would really handy. There's nothing EmergenSee can do about it on iOS (although it's possible on Android), so here's hoping Apple finally gives developers a way to allow customers to interact without having to open the phone and launch an app. In this particular case, it could literally save lives. One feature I thought was quite brilliant, and was created because the company listens to customers, is Virtual Escort. This is a preset timer you create for an activity that will set off an alarm if you don't complete it within that time. The best example is walking to your car late at night. For late night workers, there's often the trepidation that comes walking into a creepy, half-empty parking garage. With Virtual Escort, EmergenSee immediately reports to your contacts if you don't stop the timer. EmergenSee has many other features, like built-in messaging, a stealth recording feature (you probably don't want to go around with a bright light in your hand), and some key features for personal security at institutions. A couple of these features include geo-fencing and mass broadcast notifications. With geo-fencing the app knows when you've wandered off campus, so if you're within the boundaries of your college, your incident will go to the campus authorities (which is a bit easier if your school happens to be working with EmergenSee). Similarly, mass notifications work if your college or business have already partnered with EmergenSee and work just like mass texts that go out when there's a campus-wide emergency. Ideally, where you go to school or work should partner with EmergenSee to coordinate features like geo-fencing. But individuals can still use the app just as well, complete with the response and reporting. There are a variety of packages available, for personal or organizational use. If you just want the app to report to three of your contacts, that's free. The app will also upload your GPS, audio and video for free. But if you want it to also contact the 24/7 response centers, that service will currently run you $8.99 a month. Not a bad price, considering how much alarm companies charge for basic reporting. Hopefully you can see the numerous use cases for EmergenSee. There are customers who use it for their college kids, and kids who use it to keep an eye on their elderly parents. The company has its roots in institutional use, and continues to enhance the product with unique features like the Virtual Escort. It's a free download, so check it out and see if it's for you. Compared to the competition, EmergenSee offers the best value and feature set of the bunch.
Now you can text 911... just not from everywhere
Text-to-911 became available in select markets today. As the name implies, the service allows you to text your emergency to first responders rather than call. There's just one issue: it doesn't work in most places. The list of supported cities is so small in fact, you should probably just assume the feature isn't up and running in your town. Today's launch stems from a policy the FCC adopted back in January to make text-to-911 available everywhere. All four major carriers signed on to launch the service by May 15th -- that's today -- everywhere a call center could support it. Turns out, they're pretty few and far between. Locations that are online today are using existing TTY systems (traditionally used by the hearing impaired) to accept texts, or new browser-based solutions. However, Iowa, Maine and Vermont are the only ones who've managed so far to get support statewide.
Motorola's smartphones can now alert your close contacts in an emergency
You'll usually want to call emergency services if you're in truly dire straits, but the odds are that your friends and family also want to know if you need help. How do you reach them quickly? If you pick up the Moto E or Moto G LTE, you'll have Motorola Alert at your disposal. The new app lets you trigger an emergency mode that sends regular alerts and location updates to important contacts. You can also tell people to meet up (at a shelter, for instance), and you can define your home or workplace to let people know that you're in a familiar area. Alert won't work on the Moto X or original Moto G until an update arrives in the near future, but you can still get a peek at it on Google Play if you're curious.
AT&T's new fiber optic phone network could delay disaster response
AT&T wants to put its old copper-based telephone networks to rest and start testing its next-gen fiber optic cables in more locations outside the initial ones in Florida and Alabama. There's just one not-so-tiny problem: this new high-speed technology doesn't work with the government's special telephone service for national emergencies, according to the Department of Homeland Security. High-level authorities access a priority line called Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) during, say, times of disaster or terrorist attacks when phone lines are usually clogged. Without that priority line, authorities would have to brave clogged phone networks to communicate with each other, and that could delay first responders and affect response or rescue operations as a whole.
Japanese phones will soon get alerts for inbound missiles and other attacks
The Japanese get phone alerts for natural disasters, but they have more than that to worry about these days with an occasionally belligerent North Korea just a stone's throw away. Accordingly, Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency says that it will soon warn phone owners when there's a hostile missile launch, a terrorist attack or a similar human-made threat to their region. The new alerts will use the disaster technology from before, so residents won't have to worry about software upgrades when the warning system takes effect on April 1st. Locals hopefully won't ever see the system put to use, but it's good to know that it exists. [Image credit: Ignat Gorazd, Flickr]
NPR receiver gets closed-captioned radio emergency alerts for the hearing impaired
I'll be the first to admit that I had a little trouble wrapping my brain around this one, but I think I've got it now. Sure the appeal of closed-captioned radio for the hearing impaired is clear, but what wasn't immediately apparent was why, precisely, one would want a standalone box for such information if you could potentially get it just as easily through, say, the station's website. This first iteration (which is very much still in the proof-of-concept phase) is intended for emergency relief organizations like FEMA and NPR and its partners are currently testing it out in the Gulf states. The box uses a tablet as a display, getting emergency information through the radio spectrum, so you can use it when the power is out and your WiFi isn't working -- assuming you've still got juice in your tablet, which powers the box. At present, those emergency alerts are the only thing that are currently closed captioned, though NPR is aggressively looking at captioning most or all of its programming, so you could theoretically get the text narration through the box or through the public radio network's site. Future iterations of the receiver will also be a fair bit smaller, perhaps eventually being built into radios with displays, so hearing-impaired public radio fans can still get their Terry Gross fix. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Emergency Exit a great app idea, but not too useful yet
Emergency Exit is a clever idea for an app. If you're in a building, stadium, airport, casino or other public place and need to get out quickly, Emergency Exit (US$0.99) uses Google Indoor maps to show you where you are and the quickest way out. As far as it goes, it's a good idea for an app. But that's the problem -- it doesn't go very far at all, because Google Indoor coverage isn't exactly broad. Here in the US, the app shows only 55 locations; there are just four in Spain; 15 in the UK; and so on. Being at the right place at the wrong time to get the benefit of the emergency info in the app would be a sheer coincidence. I tried the app at the Phoenix (Ariz.) Airport and that location wasn't recognized. I needed to be at the airports in Los Angeles or San Francisco, or some of the other cities and places covered. The developer isn't hiding anything, as there is a complete list of covered locations on his App Store page. Emergency Exit is a great app if you're in a place that happens to be on the list; not so great if you aren't. And here's a scary thought: The time you spend checking the app might take away from the time you need to get out of a dangerous situation like a fire or bomb threat. I'll give Emergency Exit an E for effort and a D for dearth of data. The app requires iOS 7 and is optimized for the iPhone 5. Emergency Exit is a universal app.
Twitter announces Twitter Alerts for SMS and push notifications during emergencies
We just saw Twitter broaden its use of push notifications for tweets it thinks you might find interesting, and the social network is now also expanding their use for a more serious matter. The company has just announced a new Twitter Alerts feature, which it says will deliver "accurate information from credible organizations" during an emergency or natural disaster. To ensure you don't miss them, those alerts will be delivered via SMS in addition to a push notification on Android or iOS, and you won't be getting notifications from just anyone who wants to send them. At launch, only a hundred odd NGOs and governmental agencies in the U.S., Japan and Korea are able to send the alerts, although Twitter says it will be expanding that to include organizations in other countries. You can sign up to receive the alerts by going to an organization's Alerts setup page; just add "/alerts" at the end of its Twitter URL, or find it on Twitter's list of participating organizations.
iOS 7 bug lets you call any number from a locked homescreen (video)
You can expect three things every time a new iOS version comes along: fresh aesthetics, features and, by the looks of it, ways to bypass a locked screen. In iOS 7's case, this is the second security flaw unearthed since it's launched: An iPhone user named Karam Daoud recently discovered that you can dial any number on the Emergency call page from a locked homescreen. If you press the green phone button repeatedly after keying in a number, the screen turns black with an Apple logo, and the call goes through. We've tested it out on different devices, and while it doesn't work all the time, the point is that it sometimes does. There's no apparent way to disable Emergency calls, but Apple reportedly told Daoud it'll issue a patch later. We've reached out to Cupertino for a statement, and we'll inform you once we hear back. Meanwhile, if you've been hearing about another supposed iOS 7 exploit that allows Siri to make calls, send text messages and post to social networks from a locked screen, don't worry too much. It's not actually a bug -- just go to Settings > General > Passcode Lock > Allow access when locked, then switch Siri off. After you do that, no mischievous sibling should be able to post embarrassing status updates on your Facebook account. That is, unless you do it yourself after a night of drunken revelry.
Crying wolf: when emergency alerts stop being effective
Yesterday, I switched off all AMBER and Emergency iPhone Alerts in Settings > Notification Center. This followed a day and a night of flash flood warnings that started at 1 AM and continued until just after noon. [Erica is in Colorado, where recent wet weather has contributed to disastrous flooding. –Ed.] In that time, I counted eight individual Emergency Alerts issued by the National Weather Service in my personal notification center. These included alerts in the middle of the night; alerts as I was in office buildings; and alerts while I was waiting for appointments or having meetings. Since AT&T pushed out its Emergency Alert upgrade to support my iPhone 4S, I have received alerts for a variety of weather situations plus that abduction one from California. I cannot point to a single alert in my history that I considered necessary to receive on a phone rather than seeing on the TV or by hearing the local tornado alarms. I cannot customize the alerts I hear. It's all on or all off for AMBER and/or emergency items. These alerts are loud, scary, intrusive and blunt. I think my alert burnout is pretty human. When people get tired of alerts that aren't relevant, they're going to shut them off. Emergency alerts by their very nature should be few, important and effective. As is, they've become the spam of disaster preparedness. And I've just sent mine to my virtual alert spam folder. We posted a how-to on turning off your emergency alerts in July. Please consider the risks and benefits before changing this setting on your phone. –Ed.
Helikite balloons can hoist emergency LTE network after natural disaster
We know, we know, Google has the whole hot air balloon thing covered. But this idea is a bit different. It consists of a group of "helikites," or small load-bearing balloon-kite hybrids, which can quickly be launched to form a network of LTE or WLAN masts up to an altitude of 2.5 miles, providing data coverage following an earthquake or tsunami. A standalone rugged suitcase, or "Portable Land Rapid Deployment Unit," contains everything needed for activation in tough conditions. Researchers behind the project, including German R&D firm TriaGnoSys, have even found a way to integrate the temporary network with existing cell towers that remain in tact on the ground -- a feature that makes the system suitable not only for emergencies, but also for expanding mobile coverage during planned events in remote locations. Of course, the helikites would eventually drift apart and lose connectivity, probably after around four days depending on the wind, but these things never travel quite as far as you'd expect.
iPhone 101: Living dangerously with government alerts turned off
Given the surfeit of wild and life-threatening weather events across the USA over the past few months, it's great that the major iPhone carriers now all support the Federal system for wireless emergency alerts. These location-specific messages are broadcast by cell towers in an affected area, and provide brief messages that may help provide warning or guidance in a crisis. Verizon and Sprint both launched their capability in 2012, T-Mobile has the alerts enabled, and AT&T joined the parade last month approximately one year after the service was originally turned on. Note that emergency alert support is limited to the iPhone 4S and 5 models; neither Verizon or AT&T supports it on older handsets. (Thanks to John F. Braun for the reminder on the model restrictions.) As long as your handset is new enough and is running iOS 6.1 or later, the alerts -- which include both local weather/environmental "imminent threats" and missing-person AMBER Alerts, as well as the hypothetical Presidential announcement of an alien invasion or zombie attack -- are turned on by default. (I believe they also show up on cellular-capable iPads, but I'm not 100% certain about that.) The only problem with alerts that are on by default is that they don't have much awareness of your sleep schedule or other responsibilities, and as they deliberately use an unfamiliar alert tone, they can be quite startling... especially if a roomful of iPhones all pop an alert at once in the middle of a classroom, seminar or worship service. (I experienced this personally: flash flood warning, training class, several minor freakouts.) If, on your own recognizance and at your own risk, you should choose to turn off either the emergency or the AMBER alerts, the NY Times pointed out that it's easy enough to do (as did our own Yoni Heisler when AT&T's support kicked in). Simply go to the Settings app, tap Notifications, and swipe down to the relevant toggles at the bottom of the list. Where's the toggle for the Presidential alerts? Guess what, conspiracy theorists: they cannot be disabled, short of jailbreaking your phone. Clearly, when the time comes for us to be told where to report for our mandatory Google Glass corneal implant/PRISM uplink installation surgery, that's how we'll get the message. Now please kindly observe this brief public awareness video regarding the wireless emergency alert system. Your cooperation is much appreciated. And noted. On your permanent record. Thank you.
AT&T issues Wireless Emergency Alerts update to iPhone 4S, 5
AT&T has begun rolling out Wireless Emergency Alerts updates for iPhone 4S and 5, so you won't be the last folks to know if the entire northern hemisphere is about to be covered in ice à la Day After Tomorrow. You'll receive a notification from the carrier when your update is ready, but only if you're using iOS 6.1 or higher. Once installed, AMBER and Emergency alerts are automatically sent to your phone unless you switch them off via Settings, but you can't disable Presidential alerts. WEA messages are always free of charge, so you don't have to worry about going over your texting limit when notified that you need to get the hell out of dodge.
