It's a crowded marketplace for apps. Some are fun and games while others hold lots of value. Iconosys falls in the second category, offering apps promoting the safety of children as well as adults. Taking advantage of a smart phone's GPS, compass and barometer, the app can determine the location of a person remotely.
"We're really focused on building safety apps that take advantage of GPS," said president and founder Wayne Irving.
Started November 2009, Iconosys is approaching four million users. Some apps are in five languages. This includes apps like Guard's Up, released last week, allowing the user to know when a person has left the perimeter of an area. This week Digital Latchkey debuts, an app that triggers the parent's phone when his or her child approaches within 15 feet of the front door.
"If I got a text message I would feel a little bit better," said Irving, who has four children. The Android may be 50 percent of the worldwide market, but the iPhone set the way for smarter phones, said Irving
"Until the iPhone, the smart phone was a very small part of the cell-phone industry," he said. "Apple has been very significant in directing the capabilities that these smart phones have."
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