Track People from your PC with PocketFinder

January 9, 2008 by Lisa Zyga

The PocketFinder uses GPS to keep track of people and objects, whose locations can be accessed with a code online.

A new pocked-sized device may soon help parents keep track of their young children, aging parents, or even pets - all through a PC or phone.

The PocketFinder, made by Location Based Technologies in Anaheim, Calif., receives GPS signals and communicates its location wirelessly to a secured network. When consumers purchase the PocketFinder, they activate the device and receive a private code, allowing them to look up the location of the device at http://www.pocketfinder.com or by calling an automated system.

Location Based Technologies sees the PocketFinder as a secure way of keeping track of children who are too young to carry around expensive, fragile cell phones. The PocketFinder, which can be attached to a keychain, is waterproof and "virtually indestructible," and will be sold for about $129 starting in March. It also requires a small monthly fee (less than $15).

The device could also be used with older children, or placed in a car. The PocketFinder has the ability to determine how fast it is moving (along with a 16-year-old at the wheel), and can send an alert if it exceeds a certain speed.

Another feature of the PocketFinder is that it allows users to set boundaries and danger zones, and the system will alert users if the device enters or exits one of these customized zones. This ability could also be useful for the elderly who want to remain independent but who may still need some form of indirect supervision. Individuals with Alzheimer´s, Down´s Syndrome or Autism that need some security could also carry a PocketFinder that could be tracked by a caretaker.

Individuals might also use the device to keep track of pets, luggage while traveling, and other valuable assets. The PocketFinder charges by induction at a small charging station, and the company says it has a seven-day battery life.

PocketFinder was one of the technologies that debuted this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

More information: www.pocketfinder.com