Losing stuff just became a whole lot more enjoyable. i’m Here ($170) is a GPS tracking device that can be put in a car, piece of luggage, or a wandering child’s pocket. Just make sure that child is yours or else there could be some legal action involved. The integrated SIM card accesses the global GSM mobile network to transmit its position and then you’re good. It also figures to come in handy for runners who can use it track their zigzagging route they take while jogging deep into a spooky forest if they live near a spooky forest.
Joggers (or as they like to call themselves these days, “runners”) often get into trouble when away from home. Stray too far from your hotel and you could wind up more lost than the plot of Lost. The Leikr ($279) is a GPS-powered smartwatch with a 2-inch, 320 x 240 color screen protected by Gorilla Glass. It features built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and it can store 8GB of OpenStreetMap information. The Leikr also shows you vital stats like time, distance, speed, pace, and calories burned.
It’s hard enough keeping tabs on everyone in your life, but with the Tagg Pet Tracker, keeping tabs on your pet is one less thing to worry about. The Tagg Pet Tracker monitors your pet’s location by using an innovative combined GPS, wireless technology. If Guinness ventures away from the designated “Tagg Zone,” this tracker will alert you with an email or text. The Tagg operates on Verizon’s networks, so you can feel confident your little Maximus is covered. Pet lovers know you can’t put a price on your pet’s safety, so keep Butch safe and sound, all for just $200.
Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?? Well, they won’t. Not with the Trapster 3.0 App for your Android phone. With this app, user-submitted speed traps help you avoid those pesky little fines and allow you to break the speed limit to your heart’s desire. With the current release, its newest feature displays a speedometer that compares your speed to the posted speed limit. When you hit 5 mph over the speed limit, a red warning goes off and your mother’s voice starts nagging you for being so reckless. Aww, mom! I’m a big boy now..Just stop! You never let me do what I want!!
The irony is that you’ll be paying more attention to this app to avoid speeding tickets, and less attention to the road avoiding traffic collisions. It’s worth right it? After all, are there any studies that actually show using your phone while driving causes more accidents? *snickers*
The app is free in the Android market. Check out Trapster here and watch a quaint, animated video on its features here. Below, a video of an Asian baby falling sleep AND eating at the same time. Why? Well, why not??
While smartphones offer a broad range of uses, we still require specialized tools for individual jobs. For those who spend lots of time outdoors, Garmin introduces the Montana ($700 USD), a rugged multi-function GPS. The Montana provides functions for the outdoors person, all in one package and not spread across multiple apps. Packed in a single unit is a barometric altimeter for elevation profiling, worldwide elevation model for profiling upcoming routes and 3-axis compass. A dual-orientation, 4-inch monitor also functions as a 5-megapixel camera. Use the Montana to navigate to your destination and take a picture of it once you get there.
Don’t worry about battery power. The waterproof unit runs on a lightweight, lithium ion battery, providing 16 hours of use or 3 AA batteries for 22 hours. Its rugged mount means the Montana can be mounted on motorcycles, ATVs or other off-road vehicles. Whether you will be boating, hiking the back countries or just driving to the store, the Montana will always guide you and be your loyal companion. Just be sure to tuck it in at night.
