NavGenius PND looks like a GPS, is really a covert location tracker

Those sadistic souls over at Lightning GPS are at it again, making the lives of parents and promiscuous children awesome and horrible, respectively. Just in case NavTrac's RTV10 PND isn't enough to keep your mind at ease when Johnny (and his track record of poor decision making) is out and about, there's the newly announced NavGenius. At first glance, this here navigator is about as vanilla as they come, but underneath the shell is a dedicated tracking module which enables the owner to monitor every turn, stop and donut from the web. Heck, you can even re-route vehicles from any connected computer, and the owner can get an SMS should the driver exceed a certain speed or break a customizable perimeter. All that's required to shatter the last pinch of trust you actually had with your offspring is $599.95 up front and $39.95 per month for the tracking service -- which you only pay until they wise up and take a Louisville Slugger to the device.

[czeese Posted Apr 3rd 2009 5:47AM]

Step 1: Drive to the friend's house you told your parents you'd be at "all night"

Step 2: Remove GPS from car, place in friend's basement

Step 3: Profit!

Seriously: Based on the feature set, including perimeter detection, this would be useful for commercial operators of small-fleet delivery, sales or service operations. In a study I did a few years ago in my previous job, I found plenty of examples of small and medium companies that saved money by tracking their fleets and optimizing routes and schedules. But even back then, $600 for the equipment plus $40/month for the sub would have been considered excessive.

So I'm confused by who their target market might be.

[gerrrg Posted Apr 3rd 2009 5:52AM]

Fail.

Enable the google maps function that lets you track your kid(s) cell phone....for FREE.

[lejupp Posted Apr 3rd 2009 6:25AM]

Look mom, I made a tinfoil hat for the new GPS you gave to me...

[speculatrix Posted Apr 3rd 2009 6:58AM]

tomtom standalone devices like the GO series can have tracking s/w installed using a third party app - see opentom project. normally this is because the owner has a good reason for it (I find it handy when doing my expenses) but like most technology it can be used with malicious intent.

[GeekGirl Posted Apr 3rd 2009 7:52AM]

I trust my son.

[Gregory Pius Posted Apr 3rd 2009 12:17PM]

Sucker. You were young once, 'member?

Do like Bush, Sr: "Trust, yet verify..."

[brett Posted Apr 3rd 2009 9:02AM]

these sorts of trackers actually have *some* justification...

i remember reading an article about a father who'd installed one in his son's car. the son was apprehended for speeding and falsely cited for excessive speed. the GPS tracker allowed him to mount a defense and prove his innocence.

1/1000000 occurrence, for sure. i still wouldn't have wanted one in my car as a teenager.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 3:33PM]

Geek Girl - Trust no one!

youtube video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLQN191hl0

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 3rd 2009 11:35AM]

Still has plenty of potential to be more invasive and more privacy-annihilating. In-car monitoring of number of passengers, detection of smoke or alcohol particles, voice analysis for male/female voices, in-car video, smooching (or "other") detection, automatic restriction of radio stations to polka whenever a member of the opposite sex enters the vehicle, etc.

[ryaninc Posted Apr 3rd 2009 3:54PM]

I give them props for the idea. I can see large companies using this to track company vehicles. But six hundred bucks and another $40 per month?? Seriously?

[barCODE Posted Apr 4th 2009 2:07AM]

Simply buy one and never let your son/daughter know it's true intent, let them believe it's an ordinary GPS.

[Broo Posted Apr 21st 2009 8:21PM]

wow- $40/month? How about just enabling Google Latitude on their phone for free?