jose k joseph
post news network
Bhubaneswar, August 2: Mobile phones, from the most basic models to the most advanced of smartphones in India, have an impairment that is likely to go unnoticed until one is faced with an emergency. Although these phones display the option to dial emergency numbers, without unlocking them and even in the absence of adequate balance in accounts, emergency dialling does not work. This is because India has no common emergency number such as 911 and is still working towards creating such a helpline by 2018.
Under the circumstances, one fairly effective alternative is to use an application that can make emergency calls possible. In Case of Emergency (ICE) is one such app available on Google Play and it comes close to the emergency dialling facility. The app comes as a blessing, particularly to those with medical conditions that could require emergency care.
It is able to display critical medical information about the owner of the phone and emergency contact numbers even when the phone is locked.
However, most people Orissa POST spoke with about emergency dialling and available alternatives were unaware of their existence.
“I was unaware of such an application. But, I am sure it will greatly help people, senior citizens in particular,” Satyanarayan Behera, a researcher and himself a senior citizen, said.
Youngsters, however, are better aware of such apps. They feel, though, that such applications need to be popularised as the default, nationwide emergency call system is still not in place.
Susanta Kumar Sabat, a student of an engineering college in the city, said: “If you are faced with a medical emergency, your smartphone will be your best companion and potential lifesaver even if it is locked. If you are incapacitated to even dial a number, apps such as ICE can help bystanders use your phone to dial emergency numbers. People should be informed about such apps.”
Respondents, particularly females, said such apps were important to ensure women’s safety.
Sabitri Das, an office worker, said: “Although it is a drawback that such apps are of no use in the basic models of mobile phones, they can at least help those people who have smartphones.”
Experts believe ICE-like applications are bound to become more popular in the coming years, particularly with the Centre set to make it mandatory for mobile phone makers to build panic buttons and global positioning systems into mobile phones from January 1 next.
“Once the government brings its decision into effect next year, more mobile phone companies will come up with applications such as the ICE. Then there is a greater chance that all mobiles, too, will have these in them,” an expert opined.
One major gap that apps, too, are incapable of addressing at present is the inability to dial numbers if the account does not have adequate balance. It is hoped that app developers could, perhaps, bridge this gap, too, in future.
