Tech review: Zoombak GPS Car & Family Locator

September 4, 2009 By Bridget Carey Tech review: Zoombak GPS Car & Family Locator

Product: Zoombak Advanced GPS Car & Family Locator.

Features: Comes with a wall charger and car charger and it can be hard-wired to the car if you would rather not worry about charging it.

Service allows users to log online to track where a vehicle is, how fast it is going and get text and e-mail alerts of the unit's whereabouts and speed.

Price: $149.99, monthly service fees start at $9.99.

Ups: It's really easy to set up and use. Just toss it into a car and go online to set up several alert zones of any size: It can be as small as 100 yards around your home or expanded to a 50-mile radius.

You can set it up to send you a text message and/or e-mail alert when the unit leaves or enters a particular area or if the unit went above a certain speed. You can also pull up a map to see where the device has been in the past 24 hours.

You can also get alerts when the unit is turned off or is low on battery.

Downs: The system is really prompt about sending a text message or e-mail alert when the unit goes past the speed limit alert you set. But when entering and leaving an alert zone, it can take up to 15 minutes for it to send a message.

Bottom line: Zoombak sells other GPS locators with fewer features for $99.99, but this one is made especially for a car. This is the ideal gadget for parents wanting to monitor teen drivers . . . or good for spying on anyone, for that matter.

An added bonus of using Zoombak is that it makes upgrades and enhancements to the unit's programming over the air, so you don't have to plug in anything or buy a new unit to get the latest features.
___

(c) 2009, The Miami Herald.
Visit The Miami Herald Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.herald.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Rate this story - 2 /5 (3 votes)

rank
1
2
3
4
5

view popular

Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.

Display comments: newest first

RayCherry - Sep 08, 2009
- Rank: not rated yet
Empower your inner Spy, become the over-protective paranoid parent you always wanted to be ... how did we ever grow up without this?
- report abuse
- - Current rank
  - 1
  - 2
  - 3
  - 4
  - 5

Other News

Musical robots perform duets (w/ Video)

Electronics / Robotics

10 hours ago | 3.8 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A flute playing robot unveiled by Waseda University last year has been joined by a robot saxophonist in a Classical music duet. The aim of the project was to design robots that could respond ...

Gadgets: Card reader helps you shop safer online

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

6 hours ago | not rated yet | 0

NetSecure Technologies SmartSwipe credit card reader is a new device to help Internet shoppers or small business owners.

This curvaceous humanoid made of layers of cardboard is billed as the first eco-friendly robot

Robo-chefs and fashion-bots on show in Tokyo

Electronics / Robotics

12 hours ago | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Forget the Transformers and Astroboy: Japan's latest robots don't save the world -- they cook snacks, play with your kids, model clothes, and search for disaster victims.

Tips to keep iPhone battery going strong

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

11 hours ago | not rated yet | 0

In talking with my iPhone-using friends, we often seem to bring up how to squeeze the most life from the iPhone's "nonreplaceable" battery.

Review: A riff on robotics with self-tuning guitar

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

Nov 25, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (7) | 4

(AP) -- New cars have been tuning themselves for the better part of two decades now, so it should feel less impressive that Gibson has built a guitar that can smoothly do the same.