Now, mobile phone that limits functionality while owner is driving

A mobile phone that severely limits its functionality when it senses that a car is on the move, is set to go on sale in the US later this year.

US telecommunications giant Sprint says it will soon add software called 'Drive First' to its Android-based mobile phones that will dumb them down to encourage their owners to focus on driving, and not the phone, while they're behind the wheel, Stuff.co.nz reported.

Sprint said the software, developed by a company called Location Labs, will lock the mobile phone's screen and redirect all calls to voicemail.

It will also automatically block text messages and alert the sender that the driver is unavailable, and limit access to three key contacts and three applications, such as GPS-based navigation.

Under the plan, which Sprint says will cost US-based users 2 dollars a month, parents and business owners will even have access to a website that can change the settings on a mobile phone used by children or employees.

A spokeswoman for Location Labs said that while the company has no plans at the moment to release the software outside the US, it will work in other international markets.