GpsTracker
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eTrak GPS+ melds WiFi, cellular and GPS tracking, launches at CTIA (hands-on)
We've come across a number of GPS-based tracking devices over the years but most are rather bulky and difficult to setup. eTrak's attempting to remedy this here at CTIA 2013 with GPS+, a fob-like product that combines WiFi, cellular and GPS tracking in a small, light and easy-to-use package. The device, which is about the size and weight of a box of licorice-flavored Tic Tacs, features a panic button, multicolor status LED and charging contacts. It's meant to be attached to a keyring, and comes with a matching charging base which includes a standard micro-USB connector. Battery life is about 5 days per charge -- not too shabby for a product that packs WiFi, cellular and GPS radios. Speaking of which, eTrak's partnering with Verizon Wireless for CDMA-based network positioning. The company provides a web-based interface which supports geo-fencing with SMS and email notifications, along with iOS and Android-compatible apps. GPS+ will retail for $129 and be available soon (production's been under way since May 1st). Two plans will be available: $10 per month with a one-year subscription and $15 per month commitment-free. Want to know more? Don't miss our gallery below and follow the source link for more info. %Gallery-189167%
Updated Android-based I'm Watch, new I'm Here GPS tracker make their debut
We got a look at the first version of the Android-based I'm Watch at CES last year, and the Italy-based company is back again this year with an updated version and another new accessory. As you can see, the I'm Watch appears to be largely unchanged on the outside, but it promises a number of others improvements courtesy of the new I'm Droid 2 operating system (no word on the Android version it's based on just yet), including a "smart tethering" feature designed to minimize battery use, new "i'music" and "i'mages" apps, and a new "i'market" app store. Making its debut alongside it is the company's I'm Here device, a GPS tracker equipped with a SIM card that can be used by adventurers or those simply concerned with safety -- it'll also let you make an emergency call at the push of a button. Look for it to be available sometime in May for $169. We're hoping to get our hands on both of them shortly, but you can find some additional details in the press release after the break and at the source link below in the meantime.
Callaway upro mx+ will show you a real view of the golf course, won't give you a mulligan
While Callaway has been helping you navigate the golf course for awhile, all its imagery has been abstract; that's not much help if it turns out a patch marked "rough" on one hole is really shorthand for "crocodile-infested swamp." To that end, Callaway is launching the upro mx+, an upgraded version of its GPS tracker that uses real overhead photography to give a more realistic impression of the green, as well as to hint whether or not there's any chance you'll get your ball back if you mess up. Along with the static images, there's video flyovers to get a feel for the land at a perspective closer to your own. The updated touchscreen device also touts yardage calculation and an upgraded uexplore service for checking out scores and golf courses. The mx+ will carry a $249 price tag when it hits shops on May 30th, though the true-to-life graphics will freely emphasize just how much you're over par.
MOTOACTV torn down and rooted, turned into a tablet for ants
Chris Wade, the intrepid dev behind the DingleBerry PlayBook hack, has turned his attention to new device. One that occupies the exact opposite end of the size spectrum -- the MOTOACTV. The man started poking around inside the Android-powered sports watch, actually tearing it open and splaying its innards across his palm for all of us to see. Under the hood he discovered an OMAP 3630 clocked at 600MHz and 256MB of RAM. Then he put the whole thing back together and the real fun began. Wade managed root the underlying Gingerbread platform and turn it from a GPS tracker to 1.6-inch tablet by sideloading the stock Honeycomb launcher. Wade even managed to bless the tiny device with Market access, allowing him to install a certain title featuring a flock of furious fowl. You'll find a few more photos in the gallery below and a video of the hacked up sports watch cum micro-tablet after the break. If you're looking to create your own super-charge Android wristwear hit up the source link for instructions from the so-called "bad boy of IT." %Gallery-142427%
Camera-equipped hexacopter turns summer vacation videos into aerial masterworks (video)
Wakeboarding is so 2005. Wakeboarding with a camera-packing six-rotor MikroKopter tracking your every jump and belly flop? Now that sounds like something we can get behind. The folks over at MikroKopter have renewed our interest in the sport by mounting a FollowMe transmitter (which lets the drone track your every move), along with a GoPro camera to one watersportsman's helmet. They then sent a hexacopter drone, equipped with a Canon T2i, into the air to follow the boarder as he rode across the water. The resulting video definitely puts any and all of our family vacation videos to shame. High-flying video evidence awaits you after the break.
Garmin GTU 10 GPS locator hands-on
Among tons of generic GPS devices at its booth, Garmin had the new GTU 10 GPS locator out for the world to see on the CES floor. If you need a refresher, this little tracker connects to AT&T's network and lets you keep tabs on anything you choose to hook it onto. The signage showed the compact locator on a dog collar, though there's also a carabiner attachment so you can attach it to pretty much anything. We spotted the tracking app running on a Galaxy Tab, so it looks like Android support is definitely on the table -- we're still in the dark on compatibility with other mobile operating systems. Other than that there's not much to say, but feel free to peruse our shots of the discreet black blob in our gallery below. %Gallery-113416%
Garmin GTU 10 GPS locator tracks whatever you want, wherever AT&T's coverage goes
GPS is that stuff that gets you home when you have no idea where you are, but it can also be the thing that helps you find those dealies you left... somewhere. At least, it can be if you have a GTU 10 GPS module from Garmin attached to said dealies. It's a little integrated unit that has a wireless connection and can, for better or worse, dial itself to AT&T's data network. It updates its location in regularly and allows you to see just where that is via the Garmin Tracking site. Or, you can download the Garmin Tracker app to your mobile device (of undisclosed provenance) if you prefer to use your active voice, enabling you to get turn-by-turn directions right to your wayward GTU. It'll even fire you an e-mail or a TXT if whatever it is you've attached it to strays too far outside of your safe zone. The GTU 10 looks to be available now at $199.99, which includes one year of tracking. You're stuck paying $49.99 per year after that -- or, you know, losing your stuff. %Gallery-112511%
American student finds GPS tracker stuck to car, FBI shows up to reclaim its 'federal property'
Mechanics spot strange things stuck under cars all the time, but when 20-year-old Yasir Afifi's ride was put up on lifts his shop found something that hadn't been kicked up from the road: a cylindrical tube connected to a device with an antenna. An extremely paranoid person would think they'd found a bomb, but the truth isn't much better. It was an FBI tracking device. Afifi posted pictures and his story on Reddit while a friend contemplated cunning things to do with it, sticking it to someone else's car or selling it on Craigslist. They didn't have long to ponder long before two "sneaky-looking" people were spotted outside his apartment. Afifi got in his car and drove off, only to be pulled over by FBI agents who demanded the device back, threatening "We're going to make this much more difficult for you if you don't cooperate." Now, we've already given our opinions on using GPS technology like this and, while it's unknown whether these agents had a warrant to place this device, the 9th US Court of Appeals recently made one unnecessary for this sort of thing. The ACLU is working with Afifi to fight that ruling, and for now we're hoping that he, who is an American with an Egyptian father, is currently able to hit the town without agents following his every move. However, at this point they may not need a tracker: one agent who retrieved the device took the time to list off his favorite restaurants and even congratulated him on his new job.
Pikavu GPS tracker teaches kids to abandon privacy for safety
You can't put a price on your child's well-being -- but if you could, we're guessing that it'd fall a little short of the €990 (roughly $1,440) that's being charged for the Pikavu Express Locator. A child-friendly (read: gaudy) take on the Keruve GPS tracker being used to keep track of Alzheimer's patients, the package includes a water- and impact-resistant watch that locks to your kid's wrist and a 4.2-inch touchscreen base station. Four positioning systems (SBAS-GPS, indoorVision, VisionCellid and T-GSM) are employed to keep track of the little guy, and the watch itself has a battery life of up to 4.5 days. Expensive? Indeed. Worth the investment? Well, we don't know your kids -- but probably not. PR after the break. %Gallery-80423%
Amber Alert GPS 2G lets you track your kids with a text
Still haven't found a GPS tracker out there to suit your parenting needs? Then you might want to consider this new Amber Alert GPS 2G device, which, unlike some other similar products, is actually aimed specifically at parents, and promises to be straightforward enough for all parents to use. It's main feature, of course, is to simply act as a wearable GPS beacon for your kids, which parents can call or text at any time and instantly receive a text back with its location, or track at all times on the web. The device also takes things a bit further than most with a so-called "bread crumbing" feature that creates a trail of your child's route and alerts you when they reach their destination, and a safe zone feature that limits how far your child is able to travel. That peace of mind does exactly come cheap, however, with the device itself running $379.99, while the required monthly plans start at $9.99 and go up to $59.98.[Via Coolest Gadgets]
Ask Engadget: What's the best GPS tracker for under $300?
Think fast! You've just stumbled upon this week's episode of Ask Engadget, and just like those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from yesteryear, you've a few choices here. One is to leave like a coward; another is to really dig in and contribute; and another is to drop some knowledge and send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com. While you ponder which route is best for you, here's Matthew's plea: "There are so many GPS trackers on the market today to choose from. I'm just looking for basic monitoring abilities and decent battery life, and of course I want one that's as small and discrete as possible. Which is the best one for less than $300?" No need to confess in comments what you use your own tracker for (trust us, we could narrow it down on our own), but do tell if you've found a winner. Bonus points if your module has landed your scandalous SO on a recent episode of Cheaters.
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.
WorldTracker Enduro offers GPS tracking in even the harshest conditions
The folks at TrackingTheWorld have already proven themselves to be pretty capable at tracking letters using GPS, but they've now moved up to some considerably more demanding tasks with their new WorldTracker Enduro device, which promises to track anything it's paired with through frigid temperatures, sweltering heat, and other harsh conditions. Of course, it'll also do that with all the accuracy you'd expect, with it making use of both standard GPS and aGPS to avoid any dropouts, and employing a a full range of cellular connectivity options to ensure that it always stays in touch. Better still, you can also pair it with an optional 8-cell lithium ion battery (pictured above), which not only provides some added protection, but lets the tracker operate for up to six months on a single charge. As with the letter tracker, however, this one apparently won't be available to the general public, but those with a fleet behind 'em can get in touch with TrackingTheWorld to talk pricing.
Diminutive Spark Nano GPS tracker gives suspicious parents real answers
Not that sneaky, minuscule GPS trackers are impossible to come by, but with kids growing more and more mischievous, outraged parents are demanding more options. At least that's the word passed on by Lightning GPS' Jason Lazarus, who has just recently decided to make its ridiculously small Spark Nano available to the public. You see, this here company has generally thrived on providing covert GPS trackers to military and law enforcement, but now even civilians are being allowed in on the fun. The device, which is obviously used to track whatever or whomever you wish, is about the size of a 9-volt battery and can easily withstand bumps, bruises and the occasional drink spill. Users who implant one can track the subject via the web (shown after the break) or phone, and you can count on five solid days of continuous tracking when the rechargeable battery is topped off. It's shipping now from BrickHouse Security for $299.95.
Police turning to GPS to track cars more than ever
It's no secret that the police have been using GPS to track cars for some time now, often without a warrant or court order and, as The Washington Post now reports, it looks like the practice is only getting more and more commonplace. That is mostly due to the fact that courts usually side with the police in the resulting cases that arise out of the use of GPS trackers, with them agreeing with the argument that it is essentially no different than having an officer physically track a car themselves. They also cite a 1983 Supreme Court case that allowed the use of "beepers" that relay a car's location to police. Of course, others, like attorney Chris Leibig, have an entirely different opinion, saying that, "tracking a person everywhere they go and keeping a computer record of it for days and days without that person knowing is a completely different type of intrusion." Given that at least some state courts, like Washington state, side with that position and require a warrant for GPS trackers to be used, it would seem likely that this matter could eventually wind up being decided in the Supreme Court as well.[Via Slashdot]
GPS-equipped Car Camera Voyager Pro logs fender benders
Sure, these in-car crash loggers are a dime a dozen these days, but Brickhouse Security is pushing its Car Camera Voyager Pro as better than those ho hum alternatives thanks to the inclusion of GPS. As with most of its highly functional rivals, this one also packs a G-sensor that detects when a vehicle has been slammed into, bumped or otherwise rocked in an unorthodox manner; after that, it captures the 10 seconds immediately prior to and the 30 seconds immediately following the incident. Of course, you'll also be able to pinpoint your exact location thanks to the corresponding GPS information, which could certainly help you out when hunting down CCTV footage of the nut-job who rammed your whip and wheeled off to Wendy's as if nothing happened. Hand over $449.95 now and expect it to arrive later next week.[Thanks, Frank]
SPOT Personal Tracker gets reviewed
Although SPOT's personal GPS tracker was announced last August, it's just now managed to navigate its way into reviewers hands. Essentially, this unit is supposed to enable the carrier to upload real-time tracking data to friends and family back home, but according to GPS Magazine, that was easier said than done. The unit was hailed as extraordinarily rugged, long-lasting (battery life) and able to work in areas without cellular coverage. Sadly, its internal GPS receiver was so insensitive that even "moderate tree cover prevented the unit from getting reliable signals." Additionally, there's no way to tell whether or not a message has been sent successfully (or received), and the lack of geofencing support was also a letdown. All in all, SPOT seemed to be a good bet for hikers, boaters, etc. traveling to remote areas simply due to its ability to ring for help if necessary, but for the average joe (or youngster) hoping to transmit step-by-step data back home, it seems the built-in GPS receiver just ain't cut out for all that.
Transystem's i-Tracker keeps tabs on whatever you'd like
Ah, the wonderful world of personal GPS trackers. Upon gazing at the i-Tracker, visions of Cheaters arise in our minds, but we'll try to keep the nostalgia at a minimum here. Transystem's latest -- which was proudly displayed at CES -- reportedly houses both a GPS and GSM module which enables it to transmit tracking information to one's PC or mobile in real-time. As expected, it can be controlled with a predetermined handset or internet-connected PC, and there's even an SOS button that instantly beams out one's current location. Mum's the word on pricing / availability, but make sure you clear that history after scouring the net in search of one.
BikeGPSTracking's MC242 GPS Motorcycle Tracking Unit does what it says on the box
The folks at BikeGPSTracking have what they claim to be the first "low cost" GPS tracker for motorcycles and other small vehicles of death. The MC242 weighs in at $349, and allows you to track your bike anywhere, anytime in the US or Canada as long as you keep up with the $5.95 per month service plan. Other features include configurable alerts for when the ignition is turned on and off, a tether switch to SMS or email specific recipients if the rider is thrown off the bike, a vibration sensor that can tell if the bike is moved without being turned on, and Geofence and speed alerts. The MC242 available now.
