Archive for May, 2008

Amber Alert GPS at Disneyland!

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

For Christmas we gave Grandma and Grandpa a trip to Disneyland. They finally went on their trip in March. Before they left we had them take an Amber Alert GPS with them. We thought that it would be fun to track them in Disneyland – while we were home in Utah. We weren’t too worried that Grandma would get lost – she was in a wheel chair and knew she couldn’t get away too fast! The first night they gAmber Alert GPS in Disneylandot there, they didn’t go out and do anything fun. I guess they were tired from the plane ride. We checked the GPS unit, saw that they were in their hotel room, and then texted them and told them they needed to get out of their room and do something fun. They ignored us! The next day, while they were at California Adventure, we called the GPS unit to see where they were. From the text and the map on our phone, we quickly determined where they were and then texted them again. We said, “You’re right in front of Soaring Over California, aren’t you?” They said, “How do you know?” Then they remembered that they had the GPS unit on them. It was a lot of fun to track them. In a way we kind of got to experience their vacation with them!

Julia Howard
AmberAlertGPS

Amber Alert GPS reviewed by GPSmagazine.com!

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Amber Alert GPS was recently reviewed by GPS magazine.com and then compared to other child tracking devices on the market. We are so proud to announce that Amber Alert GPS given a 4 out of 5 star rating by the publication and considered one of the hands-down favorites for parents with children.

In a separate review of our product, the Editor of the publication said that “Amber Alert GPS has a lot going for it: with up to 48 hours of battery life per charge, SiRF’s high performance StarIII GPS receiver, Assisted-GPS for indoor/outdoor tracking, Geo-Fencing, and speed alerting options, this tracking GPS is a bargain at $199.”

He went on to say that “One of the best aspects of Amber Alert GPS is the long battery life; I was able to get around 24 hours of regular usage per battery charge (it laster longer if I didn’t use it much). The device doesn’t sacrifice much in the performance department, utilizing SiRF’s high performance StarIII receiver for solid GPS tracking both indoors and out.”

His final verdict was

Verdict: Great for Parents

Check out the review here:

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2008/04/amber_alert_gps_tracking_syste.php

GPSmagazine.com also created “The Ultimate Child Tracker Buyers Guide” where 9 units, including the AmberAlertGPS model were tested and compared. This is the conclusion of that review:

“A more practical, and much less expensive, solution is Amber Alert GPS. The sub-$200 device worked well indoors and out, but lacked the reporting features of the WorldTracker. For example, you can’t configure Amber Alert GPS to automatically send location updates — you have to call the device and wait for it to send your phone an SMS message with a link to view the location on Yahoo maps. Amber Alert GPS also doesn’t have the 3D mapping capabilities or advanced geofencing features of the WorldTracker. Still, Amber Alert GPS is simple to use, and doesn’t require a computer to find out where your child is. Provided you already have an internet-enabled smart phone, Amber Alert GPS is a great tool for parents and children alike.”

I just might add that our unlimited service DOES have “bread-crumbing” which is an automatic text sent to your phone at a pre-established time frame to give you regular updates as to where your child is. Also, if you do not have an internet-enabled smart phone, you can simply input the latitude and longitude coordinates from the text message into Google Maps or Yahoo Maps on your home or business computer and you will get a map demonstrating the location, just like what would appear on an internet-enabled phone.

Here is the link to that buyer’s guide:

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2008/05/the_ultimate_gps_child_trackin.php

Julia Howard
AmberAlertGPS.com

Amber Alert GPS Featured On ABC News!

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

We are so excited to tell you that Amber Alert GPS was featured on ABC channel 4 news in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, May 12th. They talked with the founder of the product, Russell Thornton, and with a couple of mothers that have been using the product throughout it’s development phase.

Below are the links to the two clips that ABC news did. You will get a good feeling for how this product is to work, especially for younger children, which is our primary emphasis right now. Of course, the product can be used for any number of purposes, from tracking vehicles and pets to hikers and skiers. The only limit to the potential number of uses for this product is your imagination. We feel that a really substantial benefit of this product will be in tracking special needs kids and seniors. Kidnapping incidents are very low relative to the number of kids and seniors lost or “misplaced” by virtue of a handicap.

Here are the links to the news clips…enjoy!

http://www.abc4.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ff23277e-61d8-4c9c-a5b1-c8104f9ec44f

http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=82062@video.ktvx.com

Feel free to leave a comment or contact me if you have any questions about the coverage or about the product.

Julia Howard
AmberAlertGPS.com

Amber Alert GPS Visits Alcatraz…and Works!!

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

My family and I recently went to San Francisco. We tagged along with my husband on his business trip. OfMy son, the convict course we did all the touristy stuff – Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, Alcatraz… Before we left, I made sure that we brought our Amber Alert GPS tracking device. When it’s not on the kids, it’s on me!

Anyway, during our tour of Alcatraz – when we were inside one of the steel prison cells – I decided that I would put the GPS unit to the test. With the GPS in my purse, and me and the kids inside the cell, I called the unit. I just knew that with all this steel and with Alcatraz being built on a rock, that there was no way that it could work! Well, much to by surprise I received a text back within about 5 minutes. I took a little bit longer than it normally does. I usually receive a text back in less than a minute. But, to my surprise, it worked. When I pulled up the map, it showed that we were at Alcatraz! I guess no one can escape Alcatraz – especially if they are wearing an Amber Alert GPS unit!

Amber Alert GPS can actually be used anywhere in the world, but in the event that you leave the country with the unit and plan on using it overseas, you will require a special international SIM card that we can provide. We have a client going to Italy in June and he and his wife will be using the Amber Alert GPS there to test it’s efficacy in Europe. We will report on it’s success while they are gone and once they return. Stay tuned…

Julia Howard
www.amberalertgps.com

Welcome to the Amber Alert GPS Blog!

Monday, May 5th, 2008

This is the inaugural entry into the Amber Alert GPS blog. Amber Alert GPS is a new spin on a familiar technology. GPS has been all the rage for years now, but has never been used as effectively for child safety as it is being used now with the Amber Alert GPS system.

A pager-sized unit that is placed on a young child is accessed by mobile phone by parents who want to klnw the whereabouts of their child. A  phone number is called by the parent, a text is sent back by the GPS unit with coordinates of the exact location of the child. If the mobile phone is internet ready, the text will include a Yahoo map graphically showing the location of the child. If the phone is not internet ready, the coordinates can be entered directly to Yahoo or Google maps and the map will come up on your computer monitor showing the parent the same location.

Other features of this remarkable unit include:
1. Safe-Zone geo-fencing. Establish a perimeter within which you would like your child to stay. If they breach the perimeter, a message is sent to mom and  dad’s phone notifying them of the breach.

2. SOS Button - if your child is in a compromised situation and they are feeling threatened or otherwise unsafe. they just have to push the SOS button on the unit and mom and dad are notified of the distressed situation.

3. Speed alert - want to know if your kids are respecting their driving privileges? Speed alert will tell you how fast the vehicle is traveling that your child is in or is driving.

Thank you for visiting our  blog today. If you have any questions, comments, or inquiries, feel free to post a comment to this or any other entry.

We are in the process of perfecting the Amber Alert GPS software function so that it is functioning optimally all around the world. We will keep you updated about this remarkable product as we continue toward it’s full development.

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.AmberAlertGPS.com