Here’s a product that some are combining with a Bluetooth kit or an in-dash navigation system to help stop texting while driving.
CellControl can automatically block your phone from making or receiving calls, texts, or email.
The device was designed for commercial fleets but the product is seeing increased use from consumers who want to prevent teens (or even themselves) from texting while driving. CEO Chuck Cox tells us that a dealer in the UK combines it with a Parrot Bluetooth kit.
CellControl is a hardware device that’s integrated with a vehicle’s diagnostic computer system (OBDII). It uses Bluetooth to detect mobile phones in the vehicle that have the company’s mobile app installed. To date, the CellControl has released apps for Android, Windows, BlackBerry, Symbian, and a handful of feature phones, and has plans to release an iPhone app in the future. When it detects the vehicle is in motion, CellControl limits mobile phones based on the restrictions programmed into the device.
There’s a lot of flexibility in the way users can restrict the phones. You can block outgoing and incoming calls except for whitelist phone numbers, or you can allow calls only when the phone is paired with a hands-free headset. Otherwise the car must be in park to get a dial tone. 911 calls are always allowed. The Louisiana-based company says CellControl should work in any vehicle newer than 1996.
Of course, it’s not foolproof. Users can override the controls on the phone or unplug CellControl, however the administrator will be alerted when the device is removed. And CellControl won’t have any impact on phones that don’t have the company’s app installed.
The device can be purchased on CellControl’s Web site for $89.95. There’s a $24.95 charge to sync the device with a cell phone plus a $8.95 monthly subscription fee.
There’s plenty of other companies working on anti-texting systems. T-Mobile recently added a GPS enabled app that blocks texting, talking, and other apps on its LG Optimus T phone when it detects the user is in the vehicle.
Researchers at QinetiQ recently demonstrated its Driver Alcohol Detection Systems for Safety for U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The system detects when a person’s blood alcohol level is above the legal limits and prevents the vehicle from starting.
T-Mobile’s DriveSmart app costs $4.99 per month.
CellControl is also taking measures to be incorporated into OEM systems.
Source: The News Messenger and CEoutlook
