I’m not a GPS guru or anything, but I’ve always wondered about the personal tracking ability of GPS units and how well that can be implemented to be able to track your kids. When I was a teenager beepers (aka pagers) were the newest thing, and my friend had one so his parents could quickly get in touch with him if need be. This was before cell phones were so “affordable”. But even cell phones can’t give you the location of your child or the speed at which they are traveling in the car. Well at least not yet.

But we’ve now entered the age of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), and Internet based applications. Now products like this Locate 1, Powered by MicroTRAKgps are available from Sharper Image. This device can locate your child within about 3 meters. In addition to being able to locate your child, or whatever you place this device on, this system can also tell you how fast they are going. I like this part because you can set alerts so that if your child drives over a certain speed limit, or goes out of a certain area you specify, you can be notified with a simple text message to your cell phone. Then you can call them and bust them in the act! Could you imagine getting a call from your parents 30 seconds after showing your friends that your Delorean can go 88mph like Marty McFly? Ouch. All of this fun busting information and settings are easily set and tracked via an Internet based system from MicroTRAKgps’ website. So as long as you have an Internet connection you can check the location and speed of your handy GPS tracking device and what ever it’s hidden in.

Other uses for this GPS device include things like calculating total miles driven, or alerting MicroTRAKgps of an emergency so they can notify the proper authorities. The device weighs no more than a regular cell phone, and is the size of a deck of cards so it can be easily hidden or carried without hassle. Battery life can last up to 5 days for extensive tracking.

COUPON: $15 OFF any $75 purchase! expires 8-31-06

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Posted by Sean in Kids, Gadgets