Emergencies come up more often than we’d like in life. Whether it’s a financial emergency that dips into our emergency fund, or a medical emergency that requires fast action, life never goes exactly as we plan.
As my kids get older we talk a lot about various kinds of emergencies from fire safety to how to call 911, but I always think there is more we could do to be prepared.
I’m grateful we know live in the time of cell phones that are so smart. My oldest is just two years away from driving, and I worry about the time when the kids will all be off on their own.
While I was the kind of kid that played by the rules, once I got my license dropping off friends and going out sometimes meant I would come home a bit later than my parents would have liked. They asked for a simple phone call to check in if I was going to be late, and eventually bought me a pager (pink, thank you very much) so they could page me if they needed me to get in touch.
Smartphones are now in the hands of teens all over the world, and while I relish the fact that I can keep in close touch with my kids via cell phone when the time comes I worry about what kind of new trouble it presents. There will be lots of conversation about it in our house for sure, but close monitoring as well.
BipperKids is a solution we have been using for my son’s phone when he needs it. It allows us to see what he’s using the phone for and set usage, time and app limits. Bipper includes a location based feature that allows you to find your child (or their lost phone) easily. It’s made giving my 14 year old a cell phone that much easier to swallow since he knows I’m monitoring his use, and can track him down wherever he goes.
The GPS option became so popular that Bipper launched bSafe an app for adults and kids that is amazing in its’ simplicity. It uses geo-location to find you allowing you to hit one button to alert family and friends when an emergency arises. The SMS or call includes your location so your contacts can contact emergency services.
Here’s how bSafe works:
Step 1: Download bSafe. You can download bSafe several ways:
- enter your phone number at the bSafe wabpage to download via SMS
- search for bSafe using the iTunes or the Android Marketplace
- text bsafe to 84145
Step Two: Select ‘Guardians’ for your safety alarm. From my iPhone I was able to go directly to my contacts and choose my guardians. I also had the option of calling or texting the people I chose.
Step Three: Notify your guardians via text. This is optional, but I recommend it so they know you added them!
Step Four: Check out how it works. It’s a fairly simple setup, and there are some options to check your location, and set up a fake call to make sure it works.
In all setup took me less than 5 minutes including the time it took to read the terms of use provided. Now I’m all set in case of an emergency which gives me peace of mind, and will help me be less anxious when my kids are off on their own.
Would you use this app? What do you think of the features?
Kelly
Disclosure: This post is part of a compensated campaign with Bipper where I was paid for my time in evaluating the app. As always, all opinions are my own.
© 2012, Whalen Media LLC. All rights reserved. To repost or publish, please email Kelly.
