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On the Move app for Android sends text messages for you

Michael Kwan — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:44:12 +0000

You know how there are all sorts of laws in place now that prevent you from using your cell phone while driving? To help you keep your eyes on the road (and your car out of the ditch), State Farm has released the new On the Move app for Android phones.

Basically, when you receive a text message from your friends, family, or co-workers, the On the Move app will automatically respond to the message, telling them that you are currently driving and can’t be reached at the moment. Yes, it’s a canned response, but it means you don’t have to reply and they don’t have to feel neglected.

To get it to work, all you have to do is make sure the app is active before you get your hands on the steering wheel. What about those automated messages that you might receive from your carrier (or other services)? You can prevent auto-replies to those by setting the app only to respond if hte sender is in your contact list.

The On The Move app for Android will not, however, detect when your car is actually in motion. If you happen to pull over to respond to a text and the app is still active, it’ll still send out the pre-determined message. Even so, this looks pretty cool.

You can expect to see other mobile versions shortly: “Though our initial launch of this feature is limited to Android phones, we are actively looking into ways to make the feature available on other mobile platforms as well.”

State Farm® Launches Insurance Industry’s First Free Mobile Tool to Combat Distracted Driving
“On the Move” Android Widget Lets Texters Know You’re Driving Or Busy; Handles Replies For You So You Don’t Have To

Bloomington, Ill. (August 19, 2010) – On Monday, August 23rd, State Farm Insurance Company will release the insurance industry’s first Android widget aimed at combating the problem of distracted driving. The new “On the Move” widget allows Android smartphone users to compose and preload customized messages that can be sent as automated responses to incoming text messages. With the service, instead of reading and responding to text messages while driving or otherwise occupied, smartphone users can activate the service and let the widget respond for them. The service is free to anyone with an Android smartphone as part of State Farm’s updated Pocket Agent® for Android™ application.

“It is our hope that this widget will prevent crashes and save lives,” said Laurette Stiles, Strategic Resources vice president at State Farm. “This new service will help drivers manage the temptation to read or respond to text messages when they are behind the wheel. We wanted to make this widget available free-of-charge as just one of the ways we’re working to keep our roadways safe for drivers.”

The National Safety Council estimates that 200,000 crashes each year are caused by drivers who are texting. State Farm is a leader in research and programs aimed at preventing distracted driving and other forms of dangerous driving.

Customized responses

With the service, Android owners can create their own responses and save them to a library for future use. The service works with all incoming texts, or can be limited to senders listed in the user’s smartphone address book. Activating the service prior to driving is just one way to use the widget. Smartphone users also can use the service while in class, at the gym or in a movie.

“On the Move” users simply activate the auto-response function by turning on the widget and composing or selecting auto-response messages. Incoming text messages are still received and can be accessed in the user’s inbox at any time.

“On the Move” joins an array of other automated text-response applications available to manage how people respond to text messages when they are otherwise occupied. This is the first offered from an insurance company, and it is free.

Employee-driven Innovation

“On the Move” is the newest product from State Farm’s Employee Innovation Challenge, a program that sourced input and ideas from thousands of employees. Final market development and deployment was accomplished through a partnership between the company’s business and information technology departments.

“It’s amazing what can rise to the surface when you unleash the collective power of thousands of employees,” said Susan Hood, Claims vice president at State Farm. “So often our people are required to pick up the pieces in the wake of a car crash. This type of innovation helps us prevent such tragedies from happening in the first place.”

Availability

The service is the latest addition to the State Farm suite of mobile tools, which includes Steer Clear™, mobile banking, and Pocket Agent™.

It will be available on August 23rd via the Android Market. “On the Move” is compatible with Android OS 1.5 and higher. Upon updating State Farm Pocket Agent™, Android users will be able to access “On the Move” through a widget available on smartphone home screens.

The service is not available at this time on BlackBerry, Windows Mobile phone or iPhones but the State Farm development team is currently evaluating options beyond the Android offering.

Imagine an Android App That Automatically Responds to Texts While You’re Driving [Gizmodo]

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Stop Walking into People with Type n Walk for iPhone

Michael Kwan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:25:17 +0000

Have you ever had the experience where you are walking down the street and you absolutely have to get that text message or email message sent out? Of course you have. Have you ever accidentally bumped into someone or tripped off the edge of the sidewalk as a result? Probably.

The problem is that your attention is far too focused on the cell phone screen, rendering you oblivious to the hazards around you. You’re dead to the world! That’s not a good thing and that’s where this new app comes into play.

Type n Walk for iPhone takes advantage of the camera on the back of the iPhone, streaming that image into the background of your text message program. This way, you can keep typing away while still being able to see what’s in front of you. No need to say, “Sorry, excuse me,” because you won’t bump into anyone.

For more information, hit up the official page or just find Type n Walk in the App Store.

Source: BoingBoing

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Americans in Favor of Ban on Texting While Driving

Michael Kwan — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:54:00 +0000

OMG. Given how much we have come to rely on our cell phones for nearly every aspect of our lives, it’s interesting to see how this new survey turned out. Nationwide Insurance asked Americans whether they would support legislation that would ban drivers from sending text messages while driving and the overwhelming majority said they’d back that bill.

This follows in the footsteps of laws already passed in places like California where it is illegal to use a handheld cell phone while behind the wheel. That usually pointed toward voice communications, but the ban on handheld cell phone use would effectively block text messages and emails too.

The difference is that this possible upcoming legislation would come from US senators and the rest of the crew in DC, meaning that we could be looking at a nationwide ban on texting while driving. Of those surveyed, 80% said that they would support this ban.

Interestingly, it’s not just the technophobic older demographic who want to get these damn kids to put away their cell phones; support for the ban came from just about every walk of life and every age group. In fact, the mobile savvy Americans from Gen X and Gen Y (aged 21-44, collectively) “showed resounding support for texting restrictions.”

Studies have shown that cell phone distraction, as is the case with sending and receiving text messages, can be just as harmful as drunk driving. We don’t let people drive under the influence, so I guess this nationwide ban could be the next logical step. What about Canada? Are we getting a ban too?

Source: Intomobile

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Text Messaging Makes Teens Value Speed over Accuracy

Michael Kwan — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:44:49 +0000

Most of us already know that many teenagers send a lot of text messages. With quick tapping fingers, they can send a huge number of messages to their friends, asking for weekend plans or what to eat for lunch. As it turns out, these fast thumbs are affecting their brains.

Monach University conducted some research on heavy mobile users aged 11 to 14 and found some startling results. The heavy mobile phone users tended to have more inaccuracies in their IQ-style tests. Does this mean that texting is making teenagers dumber? Not necessarily.

What they found is that these heavy texters had an overall tendency to value speed over accuracy, rifling through the questions as quickly as they could rather than taking the time to make sure they had the right answers.

This is just a theory, but the researchers are thinking that because text messages involve so much shorthand and truncated words that it became more important to send the message quickly than to have it 100% grammatically correct and with correct spelling. This mentality has seemingly spilled over into other areas too.

Source: Intomobile

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