How much would you pay to stop someone you know -- say, a teen driver -- from texting or calling while behind the wheel? With its Drive First app, Sprint is hoping you'll pay $24 a year in $2 per month increments for the privilege. And that's per phone.
The app is only available to Sprint subscribers and a software download is required to add the service to existing Sprint Android devices. All Android phones launched later this year will have the feature baked in, while BlackBerry and Window 7 users will have to wait to add it.
The app basically locks down the phone when it senses motion. Callers are informed that the phone's owner is driving and incoming texts receive an automated reply. Five numbers can be selected to ring through, and up to three apps (such as navigation, music and weather ... but not Facebook) can remain operable while the app is running.
The phone's owner can also override the app, which sort of defeats the whole purpose when you think about it. And parents can set up the app to send them a notification if their teen driver overrides it -- unless, of course, the teen figures out a way to hack it.
You can read more about Sprint Drive First at Edmunds.com.
altimadude05 says:
09:56 AM, 10/ 4/11
Two thumbs up to Sprint. Allowing the important stuff to come through, blocking the stupid stuff that get people into accidents. Genius.
There will still be accidents though.