Your phone to the rescue

PanicGuard is a new app for smartphones that can be used in emergency situations as a personal protector. Once you have downloaded it, your phone becomes an all-in-one alarm, SMS alert, GPS tracker, video recorder and evidence gatherer. In an emergency, you activate the loud alarm by either shaking or tapping the screen on your phone.

PanicGuard instantly sends an SMS to all of the emergency contacts you’ve chosen, letting them know that you are in danger, together with your exact location. The SMS will also enable people to log into your internet PanicGuard account, where they can track your movements in real time and view a video or audio recording of what is happening.

Your phone continues to update its location to your account page until you deactivate it, which allows the police or an armed response company to track the phone. The Android and iPhone apps are available for downloading, with the Windows phone and Blackberry apps to follow soon.

The monthly subscription is R20. For more information on PanicGuard, to see how it works, or to download the app, go to www.panicguard.co.za or phone Gordon Knight on 082 7878 000.