PFO Shield App Turns iPhone into Tracking Device

Once upon a time payphones were the sources for placing emergency calls. If you were away from home and away from a landline, your closest connection to your family, friends, police, or medical assistance was confinded to a small, rectangular booth. Thankfully those days are long gone and our generation now has the privilidge of cellular technolog, sleek innovative designs, and apps that can potentially save lives.

PFO, the Swedish design and technology company behind the world’s first GPS fashion accessory, is within days of releasing their anticipated PFO Shield app - a personal safety app that turns your iPhone in to a smart personal alarm and tracking device. By turning instinctive actions into user-friendly functions, such as pulling out the headset plug, your chosen friends are sent an alarm message with your position.

PFO Shield has four functions by which to trigger the alarm; pressing an alarm button, letting go of your phone, pulling out your headset cable, or starting a timer. An alarm is then sent to your Shields with your exact position on a map. The positions of the other Shields are also visible so that, with a live chat function, they can efficiently determine who is best suited to help you. Your Shields can easily be changed or added through the contact list in your phone. This is one app that your friends, your family, your children and you will not want to miss.

“I love the PFO Shield. It makes me feel so much safer when I walk home from work listening to music knowing that, with a pull of my headset, I’ve sent an alarm with my position to my dad and my closest friends,” says Jennie, 20, fromS tockholm who’s been part of a fifty strong test group over the summer.  “Within 30 seconds I receive a phone call from my boyfriend or friend checking that I’m ok. Besides being part of the test group, there have been two occasions when I triggered the alarm because I truly felt unsafe. Both times I was approached by a gang of 15-year-olds and, while nothing happened, the app made me feel like I had someone there with me. Obviously I hope that I never need to use the app in a real danger situation, but if I do, I feel safer and more confident knowing that my friends will be alerted within seconds. It’s a good feeling,” says Jennie.

“Personal security is one of our basic human needs. Whether you're out for a run in the woods, walking home alone at night, getting into a cab, or trying to find your way in a new city, our app will strengthen your safety and sense of security”, says Johan Carlsson, CEO of PFO. “We have turned some of the most likely spontaneous reactions into alarm triggers.”

PFO Shield is part of PFO's established and integrated safety system which utilizes the iPhone's intelligent and precise positioning technology along with the company's own developed functionalities. This allows the PFO Shield to be used as a stand-alone app, or as a complement to the GPS security bracelet PFO One. Both can easily be managed within the settings of the app.

PFO Shield has a one-time download fee of $0.99 and is available now for iPhones. The Android version is set to be launched shortly. The PFO One bracelet is available via their Website and through select retailers.

About PFO

PFO is the world's first company that combines fashion, function and security. Behind the technology are developers of military robotic surveillance. Behind the brand image is the Grammy awarded graphic designer, Stefan Sagmeister, and behind the design is the celebrated Swedish designer, Oscar Magnuson.

Behind PFO's mission to make the world better and safer are names like football manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Australian Open and Davis Cup winner Thomas Johansson, and entrepreneur and mediaman Richard Bage.