Amberwatch GPS Cell Phone Tracking for Children
Are you prepared to handle an emergency if one of your children goes missing? You're probably already familiar with the Amber alerts system that puts out public notices when a child goes missing but did you know that the AmberWatch Foundation also offers a GPS cell phone tracking app to help track your children?
Statistics say that a child goes missing on average of once every 40 seconds with over 800,000 missing children reported annually in the United States alone. Yes, you read that correctly! Nearly one million kids turn up missing in a single year. Most parents will openly admit that one of their biggest fears is having a child abducted.
The AmberWatch GPS Child Locator
One way some parents have used technology to help reduce the risk of their family becoming a statistic is by making use of GPS technology in cell phones and mobile devices to monitor their children's location. This system was developed through a partnership between Omnilink Systems and the AmberWatch Foundation and designed specifically for parents. It comes with a full set of features that help you protect the safety of your child without taking significant time away from your busy schedule.
The AmberWatch GPS software works by picking up a signal from either a Sprint based phone or a small dedicated tracking device that you can attach to an item of clothing or inside or a bag or backpack. The device reports back to the software program which you can reach from any computer with an Internet connection and plots your child's location on a map. One unique feature that makes the AmberWatch GPS system stand out above other tracking solutions is the ability to monitor location both indoors and out.
The system is perfect for families with several children and it allows you to track each one independently. As a parent, you can check in at any time to make sure your child has arrived on time for school, been picked up at the bus stop, or arrived safely at a friend's house. The system even allows you to set up custom notifications to alert you when certain events occur.
How Much Does it Cost?
The service does carry a small monthly subscription fee but pays easily pays for itself in peace of mind. If you need a solution to keep track of your family and protect them from harm, this is one of the most affordable and convenient ways to achieve that goal. For about the price of a latte from Starbucks, you can have instant access to some of the most robust and sophisticated cell phone tracking technology available.
Find My Phone App by Apple
Well, Apple has finally joined the party by jumping into the red-hot market for GPS cell phone tracking apps. Their Find My Phone app has quickly jumped all the way up
to the number two spot on the iTunes free apps chart.
This app works with iPhone 4, the iPad, and 4th generation iPod Touch devices and it will display the current location of your phone on a map along with the exact time the device was located. There are even rumors that this application may soon be included with all new Apple devices.
As an emergency measure, Find My Phone will also allow you to remotely lock your device and even delete all of your data if it becomes clear that your phone or iPad cannot be recovered. So far, the app has received mixed reviews from users with the biggest complaint so far being the lack of 3GS support. Fourth generation device owners for the most part seem to give it fairly high marks. The interface is clean and easy to use while providing the level of detail you would need to recover a missing device.
How does it compare to other GPS phone tracking security applications?
For the most part, this app provides all the basic features you would want if your phone were ever lost or stolen. It provides an easy way to both locate the device and communicate directly with anyone who might come across it without giving away any access to private information.
There are other apps out there with more in the way of features but if you're looking for a solution that offers a free download, this should do the trick. You should note that this app fits soundly into the category of utility phone tracker app options and does not offer any location-sharing social networking features or data that could be used to track workouts or other route details over time. We give Apple's Find My Phone app 4 stars out of a possible five while acknowledging that the drop in support for 3GS users is frustrating.
It should go without saying but sometimes we all need a friendly reminder, the only way this program is useful is if it's properly set up before you run into a problem. Whenever you upgrade your phone or tablet, be sure to set up and test your tracking software right away. Hopefully you never unintentionally part ways with your device but if you do, this will allow you to make a serious recovery effort and protect your personal information if necessary.
Google My Tracks Review
My Tracks is another GPS tracking application for Android phones that records and tracks location data. This particular app is ideally suited for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts as it helps to monitor key elements of athletic performance such as speed, time, and distance traveled. You can plot your recorded routes on Google maps and later share them with friends or workout partners.
This is a great tool for running, walking, hiking, or cycling clubs. You can even embed the Google maps you create on a website if you wish to share your information online on a blog, website or social network.
One of the features I really liked about this app was the ability to generate a visual elevation profile. I live in a mountainous state and do a lot of hiking and mountain biking so being able to generate an elevation profile by time or by distance really comes in handy.
Another creative way to use this application is for tracking driving routes. If you need to keep track of your mileage for business reimbursement or tax purposes, this is a great way to create and organize a log without worrying about paperwork! In fact, you set up the program to send your information directly to a spreadsheet.
I get a lot of questions from people asking which GPS cell phone tracker app is best for recording workouts and outdoor adventures; Google My Tracks is definitely a great place to start. The user interface is clean and crisp making it ideal for rapidly accessing data, it doesn't take much in the way of effort to get it set up and best of all, it's free!
This workout tracking app is currently only available for Android phones so for now, you are out of luck if you are using an iPhone or a Blackberry device.
For all the Apple junkies out there, have no fear, there are plenty of free iPhone tracking apps to choose from on iTunes. Google My Tracks gets an enthusiastic four and a half stars out of five. When you need to monitor your workouts with precision, this program gets the job done with ease.