By: Aseem Gaurav on July 20, 2012
If you have developed a habit of being late all the time, a new app called Twist is here to help you. Twist, a location-based app, notifies your friends and colleagues when you’re running late by calculating the time of arrival and sending text messages to the people waiting for you.
It is a free app, that can be used for trips by bike, foot and public transportation in leading US cities. The app uses your location, average speed, you travel and current traffic data to communicate your exact arrival time.
The company, founded by serial entrepreneur and investor Bill Lee and Mike Belshe, an original Google Chrome team member, emphasizes that the app will help cut down on the number of people who text or e-mail while driving by 24 per cent.
“Time is money and time wasted is not acceptable,” said Lee.
The company also hopes the app to perform well in the market given that a large chunk of US population is consistently late, and given that a lot of folks now own a smartphone and carry with them while going to office.
Here’s how it works: After opening the app, the users describe where they are headed. Twist then plots a route for them by car, foot or public transport and offers an ETA. Now it is upto the users with whom they want to share that. But after they chose one, let’s say boss, then the recipient will receive a notice via text message when you leave your present location and while you’re en route. In case you get stuck into traffic or witness some unavoidable reasons, Twist will update the recipient about your new ETA. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about contact as after using the app the algorithm will learn your most popular contacts and surface them to the top.
However, the uses of Twist are not just limited to informing people about your being late, you can also use to pre-plan your travel and tell others when to leave or tell your wife when to have dinner ready, or tell a babysitter when to expect you back.
A survey by Harris Interactive, conducted on behalf of Twist, found that traffic or other transportation issues are a major cause of lateness (53 percent), followed by underestimating travel time (38 percent) and simply getting lost (25 percent).
In one package, Twist said it combines the features of email, text, calendars, maps, traffic, photos, recommendations, and check-ins.
If you have developed a habit of being late all the time, a new app called Twist is here to help you. Twist, a location-based app, notifies your friends and colleagues when you’re running late by calculating the time of arrival and sending text messages to the people waiting for you.
It is a free app, that can be used for trips by bike, foot and public transportation in leading US cities. The app uses your location, average speed, you travel and current traffic data to communicate your exact arrival time.
The company, founded by serial entrepreneur and investor Bill Lee and Mike Belshe, an original Google Chrome team member, emphasizes that the app will help cut down on the number of people who text or e-mail while driving by 24 per cent.
“Time is money and time wasted is not acceptable,” said Lee.
The company also hopes the app to perform well in the market given that a large chunk of US population is consistently late, and given that a lot of folks now own a smartphone and carry with them while going to office.
Here’s how it works: After opening the app, the users describe where they are headed. Twist then plots a route for them by car, foot or public transport and offers an ETA. Now it is upto the users with whom they want to share that. But after they chose one, let’s say boss, then the recipient will receive a notice via text message when you leave your present location and while you’re en route. In case you get stuck into traffic or witness some unavoidable reasons, Twist will update the recipient about your new ETA. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about contact as after using the app the algorithm will learn your most popular contacts and surface them to the top.
However, the uses of Twist are not just limited to informing people about your being late, you can also use to pre-plan your travel and tell others when to leave or tell your wife when to have dinner ready, or tell a babysitter when to expect you back.
A survey by Harris Interactive, conducted on behalf of Twist, found that traffic or other transportation issues are a major cause of lateness (53 percent), followed by underestimating travel time (38 percent) and simply getting lost (25 percent).
In one package, Twist said it combines the features of email, text, calendars, maps, traffic, photos, recommendations, and check-ins.
