4Prox

Prompt is a Friend to Auto Insurance Companies - No rushing, No speeding, Lower Premiums

If you are ever tempted to speed another good reason to download Prompt to your BlackBerry is to potentially save some cash.  

Speeding is not just dangerous it can be expensive too.  Once you've paid your speeding ticket, Auto Insurance companies like AllState, Geico, USAA and Metlife will increase your premiums too. Although a ticket will only set you back about $170 the increase in insurance premium could add around $1500 over three years.  Not to mention the increased likelihood of a more serious accident, and the embarrassment at work.

These companies have good reason for higher rates: 

In one study, California drivers with one speeding citation in a three-year period had a crash rate 50% higher, on average, than those with no infractions -- and the crash rate more than doubled for those who had two or more tickets, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, industry-sponsored research groups.

Prompt is the traffic early warning app that makes sure you leave on time so you arrive on time, without the need to rush.  If there is no need to rush there is no need to speed. 

Click here to try the Prompt FREE version or get the 7 day trial of the Prompt Premium version

If you are in auto insurance business, please contact me:

Julian Bourne

business "at sign" proxpro.com

Prompt Aims to Stop People Speeding.

Prompt (www.proxpro.com ) is the free mobile app aimed to stop people speeding.  According to the National Highways and Safety Administration a staggering 30% of road fatalities are caused by drivers traveling faster than the speed limit. 

People speed because they are running late.  Perhaps they were slow to leave home or perhaps there was more traffic than expected.  Speeding kills. 

Prompt is a traffic early warning app, monitoring real-time and predicted traffic on people's next trips, and telling people to leave on time so they arrive on time.  When people allow plenty of time for their journey there is no need to rush.  Reducing the number of people speeding is a good thing!

Prompt is available at BlackBerry App World:

Try the Prompt FREE version

Try Prompt Premium Version

 

     

Two BlackBerry Apps with Your Safety in Hand.

There are over 3 million injuries from 6 million accidents each year on US roads.  I might hazard a guess that BlackBerry business users spend more time on the road, either on their commute, or on customer visits, than the average driver, increasing their chances of being involved.

Studies of road accident statistics identify two main causes of road traffic accidents (excluding alcohol related incidents): Distractions and not abiding by speed limits.

1) Avoid Distractions (eyes off the road).  Drivesafe.ly  

While driving there are many potential distractions.  The children, the scenery but how often are we tempted to read an email from a customer or even our boss.

I'm trying Drivesafe.ly by iSpeech.org on my BlackBerry 8900.  This application monitors your inbound email and text messages and reads them out loud to you so you can keep your eyes on the road.  I like it - messages are read clearly.

2) Not abiding by the speed limit (rushing)  - Prompt - Hit The Road

For some people speeding is in their DNA.  Others just get bored with a long drive on a straight piece of road.  But many are rushing, lane hopping, and trying to make up precious time because they left too late and were not aware of the traffic, or construction on the road ahead.

Prompt is a traffic early warning app, that monitors the real-time and predicted future traffic on your next trip, or daily commute, and alerts you leave early.  Working alongside your BlackBerry calendar, this amazing app does everything automatically.  When you leave on time there is no need to rush.

If you know any other safety conscious apps please drop me a line.

Google Unfolds Maps Strategy But Are Developers out of the Picture?

Miguel Helft wrote an interesting article in the New York Times today, aptly describing the "battle lines" being drawn for local search.

Today Google's patient strategy to dominate local search is beginning to unfold.  As described in the article a bright yellow tag and information box appears on Google maps providing a sponsored link to a website.  But will developers, using Google Maps web APIs and SDks on iPhone / Android be unwittingly drawn into the battle?

Google has been a benevolent supplier of mapping services, free of charge, to developers for a number of years.  The democratization of maps, or mash-ups, has been very popular.  To determine how successful Google maps were, in comparison to other mapping providers, I did a quick review of topics in developer forums and saw that activity on Google Maps was two orders of magnitude (100 X) greater than all their rivals put together.

Part of the attraction of Google Maps APIs is the speed with which you are up and running.  Simply tick agreement to the terms and conditions and all the power of Google Maps and mapping services are at your fingertips.  Furthermore provided the maps are publicly facing and free, there are no licensing fees.  Mapping license fees to competitors during this period have been very expensive by comparison, although that is changing.

Google's terms of use clause 17.3 states:

"In consideration for Google granting you access to and use of the Services, you agree that Google may place such advertising on the Services."

In other words Google is able to present ads alongside developer's content.  I expect these bright yellow tags are going so show up all over the place.  I don't think developers can expect to get a cut of the ad revenue for the traffic they provide Google either.

So the battle ground for this $13 billion market local search market is LBS maps.  It is probably time for the developer community to request more information on what Google plans for their  maps (ambiguity intended), and how is the pie to be cut up?

The Future of Mobile Weather?

Berry Review has an interesting survey on people's favorite BlackBerry weather apps. 

When considering how weather services will change in the future, I thought of a favorite childhood show.  Do you remember the Wacky Races?  The animated series featuring 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer."

The Gruesome Twosome in the Creepy Coupe 2 had truly personalized weather

 
Big Gruesome - a Frankenstein's monster / Lurch type - and Little Gruesome - a purple skinned vampire - are monsters driving a hearse-like car with a belfry which housed a dragon and various spooky characters.  They were always accompanied by a rain cloud with frequent lightning strikes.

This is the experience we built into Proxpro Prompt, the award winning GPS Calendar.  The most personalized weather ever created literally showing the weather that will accompany you where ever and when ever you will be.

Proxpro has a major announcement early next week - stay tuned.

Prompt - GPS Calendar, tells you when to hit the road and what weather (time and location-based) to expect.