BaltTech: Cool app: University app turns smartphones into live broadcast tool for security - Technology news: Digital tech, innovation, Apple and Microsoft news from reporter Gus Sentementes

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August 29, 2011

Cool app: University app turns smartphones into live broadcast tool for security

Computer scientists at the University of Maryland have built a first-of-its-kind smartphone app that automatically connects students and staff with campus police by opening up video and audio feeds on their devices.

The app is called "M-Urgency," and for now, it's going to work with Android phones. An iPhone version is coming for the campus.

I have more details in my Sunday story about the app and the burgeoning business of campus security apps.

But don't expect those quaint "blue light poles" -- the ones with the phones that patch you through directly to campus security -- to go the way of the dodo bird anytime soon.

[Image source: Sinclair.edu]

This is an archived version of the technology blog. For updated coverage, see the current baltTech location: baltimoresun.com/balttech

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: *NEWS*, Apps, Gadgets, University Tech

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About Gus G. Sentementes

Gus G. Sentementes (@gussent on Twitter) has been writing for The Baltimore Sun since 2000. He's covered real estate, business, prisons, and suburban and Baltimore City crime and cops. He was one of the first reporters at The Sun to use multimedia tools and Web applications -- a video camera, an iPhone -- to cover breaking news. He hopes to cover Maryland geeks and the gadgets and Web sites they build, and learn -- and share -- something new every day.

Gus has a wife, a young daughter and two feuding cats. They live in Northeast Baltimore.

This is an archived version of the technology blog. For updated coverage, see the current baltTech location: baltimoresun.com/balttech

Follow @gussent on Twitter