Growing Smartphone Market Poses New Threat to Kids' Safety

HOUSTON, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Law enforcement officials across the country are warning parents about ever-increasing Internet dangers for children, recommending – among other things – placing the computer in a common room used by all of the family.  

But what about smartphones?  With their mobility, convenience and enhanced functions, smartphones present a much greater danger to children than home computers.

Smartphone sales are projected to triple to 491.9 million units by 2012, surpassing the PC market by nearly 49 million.* Along with this explosive growth comes increased use by children and teenagers.  This presents a huge challenge to parents who want to protect their families from inappropriate activities and contacts.  

Enter Ambit, a new smartphone application that addresses safety concerns without denying kids the fun of socializing.

Powered by Voxofon, a leading provider of Mobile VoIP applications for smartphones, Ambit is virtually a protective bubble surrounding the child's smartphone that combines a beginner social media program with parental control.  With Ambit installed, parents can remotely manage the child's smartphone from their own smartphone or computer in real time.  Ambit allows parents to:

• Limit access to certain applications and features
• Monitor the time and place that the phone is used
• Know where their children are at all times (helpful during emergencies)
• Protect their children from inappropriate contacts

Meanwhile, kids can socialize with their friends, share photos, post updates and enjoy many other smartphone features.

"For most parents, giving their child a smartphone and knowing that he or she has access to every single feature, program and application at any given time is very unsettling," says Voxofon COO Julia Goloshubina.  "But with Ambit, you can control your child's access to the phone's features, functions and applications according to your own preferences and the child's age and maturity."  

Voxofon launched Ambit last month at the prestigious Spring DEMO conference – an invitation-only event where technology companies can introduce their newest products.   The first version is designed for phones on the Android platform, but all smartphones will eventually be able to access this application.

Voxofon LLC is based in Houston, Texas.  For more information about Voxofon Ambit, go to www.voxofon.com.  

*Gartner, Inc., February 2010.

SOURCE Voxofon LLC