Tech review: Zoombak 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.
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