Email Software Product Keeps Children Safe
Posted On: Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Wintec IT tutor Dr Tim Hunt has developed an email software product that allows children to email safely, giving parents peace-of-mind.
His email software system, Mifrenz, is a substitute for commonly used email systems like Microsoft Outlook. Using Mifrenz, concerned parents can choose who their children can receive emails from and send emails to – eliminating unwanted spam, dodgy attachments and cyber bullies.
What the software doesn't do, is encourage parents to spy on their children and read their emails. "Mifrenz is about trusting your children but keeping them safe online," he says.
The software can also be seen as an educational tool which encourages children to read and write (or type in this instance), developing their English and communication skills.
The idea for Mifrenz came about when Tim’s two young girls – now aged 10 and 12 – started showing an interest in the internet and emailing. As an IT professional, Dr Hunt wanted his children to be able to email their grandparents and family in the UK, as well as friends in New Zealand, but remain safe from the perils of cyber-bullying and nasty spam.
He's been working on the software for five years now – during his one Wintec research day each week as well as during his own time – and while the product is working more than adequately, Tim keeps finding new ways to enhance it.
"I'm still tweaking the software – translating it into multiple languages so that it's an internationally viable product and converting the software so it can be used on Macs as well as PCs," he explains.
Mifrenz is currently available to download for a one-off cost of just US$2.99. This differentiates the software from other products on the market which are much more expensive and charge annual subscription fees.
Dr Hunt's rationale for pricing Mifrenz so cheaply is he didn't have many costs as it was developed during his Wintec research hours and he wants to product to be accessible. Besides – he can always increase the price!
At the moment he's just enjoying the journey. "My initial goal was to develop software that allowed children to email safely. Now that I’ve achieved this, I'd love Mifrenz to be a product that people actually want to buy."
Dr Hunt is looking at marketing Mifrenz later this year, but in the meantime the software can be downloaded from www.mifrenz.com