From:              "ScanThisNews" 
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Subject:           [FP] Parents, athletes put GPS to work
Date sent:         Wed, 4 Dec 2002 09:19:45 -0600
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SCAN THIS NEWS
12.04.02


Posted 12/3/2002 9:22 PM
Parents, athletes put GPS to work

By Donna Rosato, Special for USA TODAY
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2002-12-03-gps_x.htm



-[snip]-

Safety first

Other companies are using GPS to target safety and security.

Several companies are marketing GPS "personal locator" devices.

Wherify just started shipping its GPS Personal Locator for children. 
It sells for $399.99, plus a monthly service charge of $25 to $49.

Like a bracelet, the device combines GPS and digital wireless technologies
to pinpoint a wearer's position within a few feet, Wherify says. Parents 
can view satellite or street maps on Wherify's Web site or call an 800 
number, day or night, to obtain their kids' location and movements. By 
using cellular technology, plus GPS, the device can work inside buildings 
and underground locations that GPS can't penetrate.

If the wearer is abducted or lost, he or she can contact 911 by pressing 
a panic button on the bracelet. The locator, marketed for children ages 
4 to 11, has a built-in numeric pager and is made of water- and cut-resistant
material. Parents lock the bracelet onto their children's wrists and can
unlock it by key or remotely.

Cutting or forcibly removing the band would activate an alarm for the
company's emergency operators.

Earlier this year, Applied Digital Solutions began selling Digital Angel, 
a combination watch and clip-on tracking device that also uses GPS. The
Digital Angel costs $400, with a monthly fee of $30. The owner of the 
unit can go on the Net to view a map showing the wearer's location, and 
the watch also can be programmed to alert someone when the wearer has 
wandered outside of designated boundaries.

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Cheers, Steve..

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