10n2 in the News

By: Kim-Lee Patterson | Marketing Makeover

CRASH. How much more sticky blood and torn flesh amidst twisted metal and broken glass will it take for us to remember? I know you’re smart, and that you can take care of yourself. I know you’re great at multitasking and are a responsible phone user. I know that.

And I know that a mere 2 seconds with your eyes off the roads can be the last 2 seconds of your life. Driving and texting, don’t mix. I don’t think that there is any email, any call, or any text worth dying for.

So let’s say you have phone-happy employees or a teenager who drives. Can you save them from themselves? You bet. Enter: 10n2 Technologes:

They’ve developed two powerful apps: “BizProtect” and “OneProtect”. They both essentially do the same thing … that is, give you the ability to control the in-vehicle smartphone use of others. For employees, you can use BizProtect to prevent the driver from sending or receiving calls and texts when travelling over a certain speed, while still allowing passengers to use their phones as usual. OneProtect accomplishes the same goal, for teens.

I think this is a great app and one that business owners and parents alike can find very useful in keeping their employees and loved ones safe while on the road.

Learn more at their website: www.10n2tek.com

By: Mr. Noobie | WebTalkRadio.net

Microsoft Windows 8 has a whole new look and feel. That’s good news for some and bad news for others. Which will it be for you? Listen as Mr. Noobie, owner of noobie.com, and Trent McMurray, tech expert and host of In the TechKnow, review the new features in Windows 8 and help you decide whether or not it’s worth the time for you to upgrade.

Be sure not to miss our weekly roundup of the latest technology news as well as Mr. Noobie’s question and answer session. This week Mr. Noobie answers questions on clicking email links when you use web-based email and why you might need smart gloves to operate your smartphone in the cold.

In our featured product segment, Mr. Noobie talks about using technology to prevent yourself and your loved ones from texting while driving.

Listen now - forward to 37:29 in the audio program

By: Mark Twomey | Irish Examiner

Mark Twomey looks at apps that will help you drive safely, assist you in getting there and even win you brownie points with your beloved.

Read the full article now!

By: ROISIN BURKE | SundayIndependent.ie

CIARAN Hynes's new business epiphany came after watching Oprah. 10n2 Technologies, now valued at €23m by current funding, makes software that stops 'distracted driving'.

While in the States, Hynes saw an Oprah Winfrey show dealing with the dangers of people using their mobiles while driving, a problem which has come to match drink driving there.

"With smart phones now being mini computers, it's just going to get worse and worse. I thought, there has to be a solution," explains Hynes.

Its core target markets are corporates and institutions that want to ensure safe driving practice in employees. The software kicks in once a driver reaches over 15km an hour and stops a phone being used to text, email or surf the net, while passengers still have full phone access. Standard of driving – speeding, swerving and hard braking – can also be monitored, something that has caught the attention of insurance companies.

10n2 is backed by Cranberry Capital, a VC owned by wealthy American Arunas Chesonis, who sold his company for €1.8bn last year. It has offices in Dublin, Boston and Dubai.

The firm is seeking to raise further funding of €5m, with Enterprise Ireland committing €1m to that.

By: Sean Lahman | DemocratandChronicle.com

Worried about your kids using a cell phone while driving? You’re not alone.

Businesses are also concerned about employees texting and making calls while out on the road. There are huge liabilty issues that affect the bottom line, including civil lawsuits, increased insurance costs, and missed days at work.

More than 3,000 people were killed in distracted-driving accidents in 2010, and more than 400,000 were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearly 20 percent of injury crashes were reported as distraction-affected crashes. Some studies have found that it’s more dangerous than driving drunk.

Still, the number of accidents are rising despite laws in many states that ban hand-held cellphone use while driving. The laws themselves haven’t had an impact on individual behavior.

10n2 Technologies has developed a BizProtect system that prevents the use of mobile devices while driving by downloading an app. Employers can control various settings, such as letting drivers use a mobile device if it’s connected to a Bluetooth headset.

The app detects whether the phone is in motion, and prevents it from being used if the user is moving above a certain speed, typically 10 miles per hour. An attention verification test determines whether the user is actually a passenger, allowing them to override the app’s blocking feature and use their phone.

While the company’s founder is from overseas, he convinced PAETEC founder Arunas Chesonis to be its first outside investor.

Ciaran Hynes conceived the system after watching an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show about distracted driving and the deadly accidents that resulted.

“Although I spent much time traveling in the U.S., I’m a native of Dublin, Ireland,” Hynes said. “Three years ago, there wasn’t one advertisement by our National Safety Council on distracted driving. The focus was on excessive speed or alcohol.”

The company has offices in Fairport, Dublin and Boston. Several former PAETEC executives, along with Chesonis, serve on 10n2’s board of directors. “His business experience is very valuable, having grown a company from one employee to 5,000,” Hynes said.

The first patent for 10n2’s technology was issued earlier this month, but they already have established a diverse customer base, which includes delivery fleets, government agencies, cable providers and energy companies. They range in size from 100 users to 30,000.

“There are very few businesses that don’t have some number of employees out on the road,” Hynes said.

The company also has a version of the software for individual users, called OneProtect.

By: Mobile Business

To reduce the distraction of mobile devices to drivers, 10n2 Technologies is launching its enterprise BizProtect software application for Android, Blackberry and the iPhone in the UK today, 22nd November 2012.

For fleet managers, BizProtect offers a solution that will help to keep employees safe and minimise any productivity or vehicle downtime caused by distracted driving. The product also has the potential to reduce costs and liabilities for businesses. Featuring the patent-pending Attention Verification Test (AVT), BizProtect is the only smartphone software that effectively differentiates between drivers and passengers and can’t be overridden without the administrator being notified. The application utilises a device’s GPS to calculate phone speed and once above a pre-determined threshold of 10 mph BizProtect automatically launches. Managers are able to remotely manage their employees’ smartphones on the feature-rich, cloud-based administration portal and implement safe driving practices.

Ciaran Hynes, CEO of 10n2 Technologies, says “Distracted driving is not only a leading cause of road deaths and injuries, it’s preventable. We estimate that the potential cost of a car accident to an employer could be in excess of £12,000 and our software is configured to prevent drivers from texting, tweeting or even making calls without a hands-free device. “BizProtect is the only enterprise technology of its kind in the market that can differentiate between being a passenger and a driver in the car through our Attention Verification Test.”

According to RoSPA, there are approximately three million company owned vehicles in the UK, with 66% of company cars subject to an insurance claim every year.

By: Lianne Gutcher | TheNational.ie

Every time Ciarán Hynes switched on the television, it seemed there was another report about a road death - usually involving a young person - caused by distracted driving.

Then Oprah Winfrey highlighted the subject, inviting on to her show drivers who had accidentally killed people, and the families of victims.

"It was really heart-wrenching stuff," says Mr Hynes, who at that time worked in PR and marketing.

But it got him thinking about ways to prevent road fatalities caused by distracted driving, which is now one of the top killers along with speeding drivers and alcohol.

He looked around at the technology that was available, tested it and found it lacking. But engineers he worked with told him if he could raise the money, they could build the technology he was looking for.

Mr Hynes, who is based in Ireland and the United States, duly raised US$1 million (Dh3.67m) via friends and family and set up a business called 10n2 Technologies. After three years of development, the company in June introduced its app designed to prevent people from using their smartphones while driving. Now, the firm is aiming to get customers in the UAE interested in the technology.

"What we want to do is to stop people taking their eye off the road and looking at the [phone] screen, whether they are texting, emailing, browsing, reading, Facebooking or, let's face it, playing Angry Birds," says Mr Hynes. He adds that he was recently appalled to see a Boston driver zipping along the road while watching a movie on an iPad he had strapped to the steering wheel.

The UAE has a particularly dismal track record when it comes to road deaths. In 2009, the United Nations identified the nation's roads as among the deadliest in the world.

Last year, 720 people died in traffic accidents in the UAE, including the international footballer Theyab Awana, who drove into a lorry while using his phone.

He noted that accident rates tumbled three days last year during a BlackBerry outage by 20 per cent in Dubai and 40 per cent in Abu Dhabi.

His company's app is simple to use. Once it has been downloaded, the user receives a unique code that configures the phone to 10n2's server. The administrator, who could be someone in charge of a fleet of company cars or a parent, sets a speed threshold of, say, 22kph.

The phone then effectively measures its own speed in reference to satellites and when it realises it is travelling above the threshold, the user gets a message asking whether he or she is the driver or the passenger.

If the phone owner claims to be passenger, he is sent a test that requires him to type in a sequence of letters that flash quickly and at different intervals on the screen.

"While that is going on, there is no way I could take my eyes off the screen," says Ronan Duffy, 10n2's Dubai-based director of operations.

"You cannot cheat it if you are the driver, your survival instinct is such that you want to look at the road. After a while, you become conditioned. You realise there is no point in trying. It changes your behaviour."

If the user passes, he is free to use the phone. If he fails, the phone is blocked as long as it remains above the threshold speed. The administrator can, of course, monitor all this. If a call comes in while the driver is on the road and the programme detects a hands-free headset, the user can make and receive calls.

Otherwise, calls are blocked and the caller gets a message saying the person they are trying to contact is driving and will call them back when it's safe to do so.

The service costs $6.95 per month for individual users and $5 to $6 per month for business users.

The company has approached businesses and policymakers in the UAE about the technology and the response has been 'top notch', according to Mr Hynes.

As well as saving lives, the product also aims to cut costs. In 2010, researchers found that car accidents cost the UAE as much as Dh21 billion a year.

"Our ultimate objective is to have this technology on every phone in the UAE, so you could enforce a safe driving environment for everybody," he says.

By: Armin Brott | McClatchy News Service | StarTribune.com

Dear Mr. Dad: I'm worried about my two teenagers. They each have a driver's license, but even though we've talked about the dangers of texting while driving, I suspect they're doing it anyway. They're generally smart, responsible young people, but all it takes is one second. What can we do to keep them from making a mistake that could kill them - or someone else?

A: Given that more than 80 percent of teens use a cell phone while driving, you're absolutely right to be concerned. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for all age groups from 3 to 33. In 2010, distracted drivers were responsible for 6,000 deaths in the U.S. - a fifth of all fatalities. According to a recent study out of Virginia Tech, a driver who's texting is 23.2 times more likely to be involved in a car accident than someone who either keeps her phone in her pocket or turns it over to a child in the back seat. By contrast, drunk drivers are only eight times more likely to get into accidents.

While those statistics are pretty startling, young adults - who tend to believe they're immune to danger - aren't easily scared. Back in high school, my Driver's Ed teacher showed us a number of grisly movies produced by the Ohio State Police. Each one showed actual accident footage and had a very serious-sounding narrator saying things like, "Here's Fred's body. Over there is Fred's head. If he hadn't been following the truck in front of him so closely, he might still be alive." The intention was to scare us into driving safely. The only result was laughter.

Fast forward a few decades to cellphone giant AT&T's recent series of TV ads featuring the last messages sent by people who were either killed or seriously and permanently injured while texting. Unlike those Driver's Ed movies, these ads are incredibly powerful - and truly moving enough to get even the most committed car texter, young or old, to quit. If your kids haven't seen these ads, Bing "AT&T anti-texting" and watch them as a family.

Most cities and states have made texting while driving illegal (although fines starting at $20-$40 aren't likely to be much of a deterrent). A number of insurance companies have changed their policies so that any texter involved in an accident may not be covered. Some lawyers are going even further and are suing the people on the other end of accident-causing text conversations.

As far as how to convince your kids not to text and drive, start with a conversation. Read them the paragraphs above and tell them about the legal, financial, and physical consequences. But be aware that peer pressure and a "what-could-possibly-happen-in-one-second?" philosophy could win out. So you have to establish and enforce some extremely serious rules, something like "If I see you texting while you're behind the wheel or I hear from anyone that you did, you'll lose your driving privileges for six months. No exceptions, no second chances, no arguments."

Because the stakes are so high, I suggest that you take some steps that go beyond words. The OneProtect, from 10n2 Technologies (10n2tek.com) is a terrific app that senses when the phone is traveling above certain speeds and disables it unless it's being used via Bluetooth or hands-free. It can also tell the difference between a driver and a passenger (to be considered a "passenger" so you can use your phone, you have to go through an impossible-to-cheat on-screen test). OneProtect has a suite of other safety-improving, distraction-eliminating features. Unfortunately, it's not available for iPhones.

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(Read Armin's blog at DadSoup.com, send email to armin@mrdad.com, and follow him on Twitter @mrdad.)

By: Rick Limpert | Examiner.com

It's a problem that I hear about just about every day.

Distracted driving.

With nearly 6,000 deaths related to distracted driving in the U.S. each year, one company has new technology that might help tackle this problem.

10n2 Technologies has introduced OneProtect – a new smartphone management solution aimed at curbing this global crisis.

OneProtect helps safeguard drivers from the potentially life-threatening distraction of texting behind the wheel (which happens to be three times more dangerous than drunk driving). Yes, that's a scary stat.

"It's just so easy now to do other things while we drive," says Anna Leigh Stewart, a teen who holds the pageant title of Miss Georgia Peach. Stewart has made distracted driving, specifically eliminating texting while driving as part of her platform as she heads to the Miss Teen USA pageant.

A recent AT&T survey discovered that 97 percent of teens say they know that texting while driving is dangerous. The survey also found:

• 75 percent of teens surveyed say that texting while driving is “common” among their friends;
• Almost all teens (89 percent) expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less;
• And 77 percent of teens report seeing their parents text while driving.
  
  How can OneProtect help?

It features a unique, patent-pending Attention Verification Test (AVT), the first technology on the market that effectively differentiates between drivers and passengers, disabling only the driver’s phone if a car exceeds a pre-determined threshold speed.

You don't sacrifice emergency service as 9-1-1 is always available at the touch of a button, ensuring loved ones are unable to text, call or use apps while driving but can still dial in the case of an emergency.

A web-based Administration Portal is user-friendly and allows administrators or parents to remotely manage their loved ones’ smartphones and easily implement various safe driving policies. Parents should talk to kids about this problem and then practice what they preach.

OneProtect is available at www.oneprotect.com for $6.95 per user/per month. OneProtect is supported by Blackberry OS 5.0 and higher, as well as Android OS 2.2 and higher. http://www.10n2tek.com/index.html

By: Maryam K. Ansari, Esq.

Texting while driving is a serious problem. Distracted driving the the cause of thousands of traffic collisions each year. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.

So it’s no surprise that smartphone apps are getting in on the issue. There are many apps out there to stop texting while driving. Here are some of the apps that help drivers curb their desire to text or use their phone while driving.

AT&T's DriveMode. This free app works on Android, BlackBerry and iPhone. It works like your office auto-reply. If someone texts you while you are driving, it sends an automatic customized reply. Another feature of this app is that it disables all ingoing and outgoing calls and doesn't allow you to surf the Web.

OneProtect. This app makes it virtually impossible to drive and text at the same time. It blocks the ability of a driver to use the phone while the car is in motion. The phone locks up once your car goes over a speed of your choosing.

tXtBlocker.This app lets you punch in the times when your phone is off-service. Essentially, you can choose times when your phone won't be accepting incoming calls or texts. The app costs $6.99 per user.

Textecution. If you've got an Android, you might want to check out this app. It's very similar to the OneProtect app. It blocks all texting once your car reaches a speed of 10 MPH.

Sprint "Drive First". Again, in the spirit ofTextecution and OneProtect, this app blocks your phone's ability to text once your car reaches a speed of 10 MPH.It costs $2 per phone per month and us available to Sprint subscribers. The app disables audio tones for email and text when your car reaches 10 MPH and sends an auto-away response. It also routes calls to voice mail.

Just like driving under the influence, texting while driving isn't safe. Now, you have the choice of several apps to help you curb your desire to text and drive.

Play it safe. Don't text and drive!

By: NECN.com

By: Richard Read | thecarconnection.com

Nearly every week, we see the debut of a new app that half-heartedly promises to end distracted driving once and for all. This time around, however, the app du jour does something a little different, which makes it -- if not perfect -- at least a bit better than its predecessors.

Anti-texting smartphone apps like DriveSafe.ly and SafeCell have great intentions, and they've seen notable improvements over the years. But most still have one major flaw: they can't distinguish between drivers and passengers.

This is because most distracted-driving apps rely on a smartphone's built-in accelerometer to gauge when the phone (and hence, its user) is in a moving vehicle. Whether you're sitting in a taxi, on a bus, a ferry, or driving your own vehicle, these apps shut off the flow of incoming calls and text messages once you reach a certain speed. Some allow you to bypass the shutoff, but since many of these apps are installed by parents and bosses, each disabling sends a notification to those monitoring users' habits.

OneProtect from 10n2 Technologies works similarly, offering passengers the ability to disable the app. However, whereas some apps make the disabling process really simple, OneProtect has made it such a challenge that users would be hard pressed to do so while driving.

When your phone passes the threshold speed (typically 15 mph), OneProtect asks whether you're a passenger or the driver. If you're the driver, the phone's manual featured are disabled. You can continue to send and receive hands-free calls, texts, and emails. However, apps -- including all navigation apps other than Google Maps -- will be completely disabled.

If you're a passenger, you're given a short quiz, called an Attention Verification Test, which you have to answer in a timely manner. Pass it, and you can play Angry Birds until the next pit stop. Fail, and it looks like you'll be forced to carry on a conversation with your fellow travelers. Here's a quick (and very quiet) video overview:

OneProtect is currently available for Android and Blackberry operating systems, with iPhone and Windows versions "coming soon". It requires a subscription of $6.95 per month, or $76.45 per year. That makes OneProtect more expensive than free distracted-driving apps, but can you put a price on the safety of a friend or loved one?

Does this seem like the sort of app that you might use for your family or your employees? Sound off in an email, or in the comments below.

By: Zoe Fox - Mashable.com Last year, nearly one-quarter of automobile collisions involved cellphones. And the distracted driving epidemic keeps getting worse, particularly among teens new to driving.

Nearly 6,000 deaths occured in the U.S. this year as a result of distracted driving. A new software suite called OneProtect, which includes a mobile app and web browser, is here to curb the destructive impact our attention to our mobile phones and texting can have on our driving.

Once installed, the OneProtect technology blocks drivers from using their phones while in motion. Once your phone’s GPS indicates your car is moving above a speed of your choosing — the default is 15 miles per hour — it will lock up.

What sets OneProtect apart from other distracted driving apps is its Attention Verification Test (AVT), a patent-pending technology that differentiates between drivers and passengers.

“We assume users won’t be compliant, so the Attention Verification Test is the only effective check,” Cirian Hynes, CEO of OneProtect maker 10n2 Technologies, told Mashable.

The AVT first asks you whether you’re a passenger or a driver, once it picks up that you’re traveling above the pre-selected speed. If you select you’re the driver, the AVT locks your phone until you drop below the speed threshold. If you select that you’re a passenger, you’re asked to confirm that you’re not driving at that exact time, such as “9:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 7.”

You are then given the Attention Verification Test, which asks you to precisely tap on letters that appear on your screen in a short amount of time. The AVT is tested be essentially impossible for drivers, but doable for passengers. When Mashable tried it during a product demo, we found it difficult to tap the letters in the allotted time, even while sitting still.

In case of emergencies when a driver may need to use his or her phone, OneProtect lets you has 911 and two pre-selected emergency numbers of your choosing available at the touch of a button.

OneProtect also has a web application that lets administrators, like parents or employers, chose the threshold speed, enable and disable the AVT, activate the app based on time of day, and view usage notifications. This means teen drivers can’t disable the app without permission from their parents.

Why Employers Should Care

OneProtect also has a program called BizProtect, offering employers an option to avoid liability in collisions. While this may not seem like an obvious need for employers, the app is designed to keep companies from being held responsible in destructive collisions — as well as for avoiding collisions all together.

According to the Network for Employers for Traffic Safety, highway crashes that occur while on the job cost employers more than $24,500 for each crash. That’s because employers are liable if the accident occurs during work hours, while an employee is taking a work call or is driving a company vehicle. Overall, it’s very easy for the company to be held responsible in court.

The software package varies in price on use, but generally it’s $5.99 per month per use for families and $4.99 per month per use for companies.

Would you use OneProtect to protect your children or employees phones? Let us know in the comments.

By: Clark Howard | clarkhoward.com

Parents of teen drivers have yet another weapon in their arsenal when it comes to keeping their kids safe behind the wheel.

A company called 10n2 Technologies has developed an app that allows you as a parent to control your kids’ cell phone use remotely while they’re driving.

This is not a free service. You have to spend $7 a month to enforce your “no cell phone use” policy. The app is so far available only for Android and BlackBerry, not iPhone.

The way it works is that when a car goes over 10 mph, the app blocks emailing, texting, browsing, and even common calling. It only allows calls to 911. So basically, this app makes a phone inoperable while in motion.

There’s an override for a passenger that requires someone other than the driver to go through an Attention Verification Test. The test is reportedly too complex to go through while driving.

No matter how many times you tell your kids not to use their cell phones while in the car, they do it anyway. I plan to use this app or whatever technology exists when my middle schooler starts driving in a few years. Because the temptation is just too great to look down when your phone chirps and see the latest message.

Someone asked me what it costs to insure a teen driver. The answer is somewhere around $2,000 a year. At $84 a year, this app is quite a savings as a deterrent to a potential accident.

By: Dot Clewis | PReVENT

When I first came to the website about BizProtect I was intrigued and honestly a little taken back, not about the website itself or even the layout, all of that was fine, simple, and easy to follow. I had to learn more about the product itself, BizProtect. At first I will admit my mind went to a “big brother” kind of place, then I began reading a little more, which was easy with the layout and simple way this website is setup. Every bit of information was right there at my fingertips so I didn’t have to do much searching or digging to find everything I wanted, no, that I needed to know. The more I read the more I agreed with and liked the product.

In my reading I have learned that distracted driving can cost employers tens of thousands of dollars a year and that many companies already have a safe driving policy in place with no real way to enforce it, and that is where BizProtect comes in. It is a program designed to work hand in hand with policies already put in place but a safeguard so to speak and an easier way to enforce them and for every employee. Companies whether they have one lone worker or a hundred employees can benefit from this program. It gives employers the option of setting it up via a set time or via a speed which is beneficial for the employees who are maybe not driving but working at a dangerous location that day.

One aspect I found particularly interesting was the ability for it to tell the difference between the driver of a vehicle or the passenger by a test called AVT which is short for Attention Verification Test, if the driver picks driver he or she will not be able to use their phone until they are under the set speed, but if the passenger chooses passenger he or she is then able to take a test that will in short test their attention, if passed they will then be granted full access to the phone. A few more great aspects of this program are that it is a web based application meaning it can be managed from anywhere the employer has computer access and that the employer will receive a notification if someone tries to delete or disable the software on their phone, so they will always know each employee is covered, and that it is installed by over the air technology which saves time. Employers by using this software can even save money each year on liability issues and insurance premiums. For companies that have a phone safety policy already in place this is a great software to help ensure each and every employee is following the policy.

All in all BizProtect is really a great investment for any company with employees whether they have one lone worker or thousands of employees. The software helps keep the drivers, employees and the public safe while abiding with company policy.

NEWLY launched G2M Technologies has signed its first deal with US patented product BizProtect™, a smartphone application which bars motorists from using their mobile phones while they are driving.

Unless drivers are using a full hands-free kit, they are prevented from making calls while on the road, and the software also stops the individual reading emails, sending texts and browsing the web, helping businesses to ensure their employees are driving safely.

G2M Technologies was founded by Andrew Tillman, who was formerly Strategic Development Director at Leeds-based Masternaut, and Robert Goldwater, who was previously Masternaut's sales director. Their new business, based at Thorpe Park, Leeds, aims to help technology companies bridge the gap between creating successful products and realising their revenue potential.

Mr Tillman said: "Many innovators create outstanding products that have great market potential. However, in our experience a good product does not always translate into high sales and business growth."

"Using our expertise and extensive contacts in many of Europe's largest fleets, we can give them the ability to turn their great products into great businesses, by providing everything from technology validation, to their own dedicated sales team."

US-based business, 10n2 Technologies, which didn't have its own UK sales force, developed BizProtect™. G2M Technologies is now helping to bring the product to the global market.

Many companies have no-phone-when-driving policies but they have no way of enforcing them, explained Mr Tillman, adding: "The cost to UK businesses from accidents caused by distracted driving is growing exponentially together with the human cost and consequential devastation."

Mr Goldwater said: "Our anti-distracted driving software promotes safer driving and protects enterprises and consumers from the dangers of drivers whose attention is diverted to electronic devices whether reading emails, sending texts or browsing the web."

"This is the only technology of its kind in the market that differentiates between being a passenger and a driver in the car. It will undoubtedly save lives, reduce injuries and reduce accidents on the road."

Mr Goldwater and Mr Tillman left Masternaut, which provides vehicle tracking devices and mobile resource management, at the end of last year.

Mr Tillman and Mr Goldwater decided to set up G2M Technologies after having been approached by firms which had developed innovative technology products but had had difficulty in bringing them to market. Mr Tillman explained: "They had all produced innovative products that filled a gap in the market, or provided a better or more effective way to fulfil a business need. Unfortunately, the other thing they all had in common was a difficulty selling their products in volume."

He added: "There is an incredibly rich seam of small companies, inventors and software developers who have great skills in creating technology products here in Yorkshire and further afield."

G2M Technologies, which has been operating for less than a month, aims to build a portfolio of products aimed primarily at commercial fleet operators and mobile workers.

"There are two more deals in the pipeline", said Mr Tillman, "and the firm is close to reaching agreement on its second product, which has been created by a Yorkshire-based company", he added.

Mr Goldwater said BizProtect™ has attracted interest from fleet customers, insurance partners and motoring organisations, adding: "It?s just the first in a range of complementary solutions we will be launching in the coming months."

The plan is to expand G2M Technologies by employing staff over the next six to 12 months, initially salespeople and telemarketers.

Mr Tillman said: "Then we want to take our business model to a wider audience so, although our own area of sector expertise is in products aimed at vehicles, vehicle fleets and mobile workers, we would like to bring in people with similar expertise to our own in different markets so that we can look at products aimed at different sectors entirely."

The mantra of the business is to turn great products into great business, said Mr Tillman.

"It takes years of building the relationships that create not only a large customer base, but also the ability to get in front of the right people within those organisations," he explained. "It's all very well building a product that you know is ideal for the large corporates but it's near impossible to get to the senior people within organisations of this size to sell them to; which is one of the main areas where our expertise lies".

"We have relationships with thousands of businesses, not only in the UK but globally, who trust us to provide them with products they can rely upon and who know we will always work in their best interest and with integrity."

"It's also generally not understood what the criteria of large organisations are in terms of product performance, compatibility, scaleability and resilience and we have years of experience in creating technology products for some of the largest companies in Europe. This means we are able do technical due diligence on their products to ensure they fulfil those requirements."

There are so many potentially great businesses out there, said Mr Tillman.

"If we really are serious about kick-starting the economy and getting out of the recession, it's the new ideas, the new products that will ultimately contribute to growth.

We believe that the majority of new UK businesses will be technology-based. There really is a strong skill-set in technology in Yorkshire and the UK in general and we are genuinely excited at the prospect of working with these businesses." he added.

By Robert Nazarian | TalkDroid.com

I spent some time with 10n2 Technologies here at CTIA, and they have a couple of unique apps for smartphone driver safety. Both apps are actually the same. BIZ protect is for the enterprise and is available now while One Connect is for consumers and is coming soon. What they do is prevent texting, emailing, and browsing (or other apps) of smartphones while driving. It uses the GPS to tell if you’re over the 12 mph threshold. If you are, you will be prompted to answer whether you’re a driver or a passenger. Of course, if you’re the driver, you won’t be able to use any of the apps set by the administrator. Now if you’re thinking that you could just reply that you’re the passenger, that won’t work. There’s a special Attention Verification Test (AVT) that you will have to go through to prove you are indeed a passenger. It’s pretty slick. It even gives the admin the option to prevent phone calls while driving unless you’re connected to Bluetooth.

Everything is time stamped so if you were to get into an accident, you could prove to the insurance company that there was no way you were texting while driving since every time you go over 12 mph, there will be a record. Also, if users try to remove the application, the administrator will be notified.
There are other apps out there, but this one really seems to be the best one in terms of usability and features. It makes perfect sense for companies that have drivers on the road and parents with kids that are driving. Texting while driving is three times more dangerous than drunk driving so this is a major problem. I have to be honest, I’ve been known to play with my phone while driving so I will be giving it a try.