Pocketweb Releases Pocket Ping, Looks to Impact Disaster Preparedness

Filed under: iPhone / Ipod / iPad,Mobility |

pocketping

Umm, ok.. I’ve never had anything like a disaster near me.. but I guess this app could be useful.

 

(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pocketweb Ltd., a New Zealand-based, award-winning innovator that integrates secure location-based and social media services across web and mobile platforms, today announces the public release of mobile application Pocket Ping™. The app is powered by TreadCrumb™, Pocketweb’s proprietary platform that utilizes the company’s location-based technology to provide Pocket Ping™ app users with the option to share their location via web link to chosen recipients.

“We developed the TreadCrumb™ platform in 2010, and have been waiting patiently for the appropriate utilization of the technology”

“We developed the TreadCrumb™ platform in 2010, and have been waiting patiently for the appropriate utilization of the technology,” remarked Michael Heinzel, Co-founder and Managing Director of Pocketweb. “After the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquakes, followed by Japan’s natural disaster, we knew that it was time to re-visit the original idea and create something relevant to disaster preparedness; the technology is ‘ripe’ for the circumstances.”

Unlike many emergency response/disaster recovery-related apps that focus on locating resources post-disaster or recovering data that has potentially been compromised, Pocket Ping™ focuses solely on preparedness by offering users a simple mechanism by which to privately and anonymously share their location on a regular, automated, basis with loved ones and close friends.

Added Pocketweb Co-founder and Managing Director, Dr. Alexander Koeppen: “The idea behind Pocket Ping™ is simple: know where loved ones are. While sizeable industry players like Facebook and Twitter utilize location-based technology that can be extremely helpful in locating missing persons, the privacy issues around these platforms, particularly when one’s location is dispersed to a massive, often un-vetted, group of contacts, are obvious and have stirred up controversy among key industry analysts, government agencies, and consumers.”

Pocket Ping™ version 1.0 features include:

Completely anonymous platform that does not require registration

Private links that can be emailed or sent via SMS to iPhone address book contacts (auto-recognized) or outside contacts through manually entering contact information

Ability to follow one friend or loved one’s “TreadCrumbs” in addition to viewing your own in real-time

Settings that allow users to share “TreadCrumbs” for two weeks, one month, or indefinitely

User-owned data: Pocketweb does not sell data and cannot relate data to a specific phone or person; user has full control of data and can delete at any time

Integration with Pocketweb’s social networking app: Pocket Life®

Future versions of the application are already in the works and include: social network integration with Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare; “TreadCrumb” travel diary; photo tagging; replay functionality; multiple loved ones’ “TreadCrumb” views; zone-specific location update notifications; and an Android version.

To view a demonstration of Pocket Ping™ powered by TreadCrumb™ visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cmTjYAlDeU