Verizon Chaperone
Verizon is getting ready to launch a new GPS child tracking service called Verizon Chaperone. The new service is anticipated to be available in May, powered by the LG Migo phone. It is anticipated the service will cost $15 per month.
Among the features of this location based service (LBS) are geofencing; the process of setting up a perimeter something is able to travel before an alert is setup. In this case you can setup a geofence around a few city blocks, a city, etc and then parents will automatically receive a text message if the child travels outside that geofence.
Other location based services are in the works for Verizon in the next few months in addition to the previously discussed Verizon VZ Navigator service which provides driving directions over cellphone.
This GPS system could have a larger market for use with Altzheimers affected persons and persons who cannot speak reliably like those with aphasia. Care givers and relatives want to know where the affected person may be located.
The phone targeted for kids alone is good but it would be better also to enable regular cell phones, not those limited to 4 preprogrammed numbers.
Due to a stroke I have aphasia and frequently cannot speak. This system would give me more freedom because my family could find me even though I may not be able to tell them wherre i am or where i am going to be.
My husband wants to see where I am on hiss cell phone display, too, so we can separately travel.
Hi Marlin,
There are other products that might interest you such as the Globalsat TR-101, Navizon Buddy Tracker, and the Laipac Personal Locator.
There may even be products out there than can perform the functionality you are looking for with your current phone depending on the type of phone and what country you are in.
Verizon now offers a number of “normal” phones with the chaperone capability, including some of the hottest phones on the market today - like Motorola’s RAZR.
i think that this technology may be goos use for altzheimers or children of yuong age between 8-12or younger. Any older this can be invading a teens privacy and that is not something that anyone wants even as an adult. Parents may believe that it useful to help their son or daughter to protect them and make sure they are okay, but before this was even thought of teens have been able to manage. In most cases parents would most likely be using this device to make sure their child is not doing something they shouldnt be, not to have them come home for dinner or somethinng simple like that because all they would have to do is call. Kids should have their privacy as well as anyone else. You dont see compnays making devices so teens may locate their parent and see what they are doing and bother them.
I am interested in finding a product, probably GPS or cell phone (or both) based that will allow me to track my young children (and pets) near and far. What products do you like for these kinds of uses??
Thank you.
I’m currently researching these tracking services for my teenage daughter. Her best friend from high school moved about two and a half hours away, via the interstate, so she visits her from time to time. I’m glad the girls can still visit. Recently, my daughter had car trouble, and called me, very upset, and wasn’t exactly sure where she was on the interstate. She told me where she THOUGHT she was — turned out she was 20 miles south of that area. You think I want a teenage girl walking down the interstate, looking for a mile marker so she can relay her exact location?!
Everything turned out OK, but I’m now VERY interested in being able to pinpoint her location. I want to let her “try her wings,” but I would feel much more at ease if I could get to her quickly if something ever came up. I mentioned it to her and believe me, she was ALL FOR IT the idea.
Richard, have you thought about getting her a GPS navigation system instead of just a tracking device? There are numerous advantages. In the example you cited a tracking device wouldn’t have done any good if she couldn’t reach someone who had access to the account information to then find her location.
Thus the advantage of a GPS navigation system is that she could find out on her own where she was from the GPS. If she needed to reach someone in an emergency and couldn’t track down you, she could easily call the police for help and give them her location as indicated on the GPS.
Good idea about the GPS nav system. I have to admit that the thought of someone ELSE being able to track her is very spooky. The advantage of using her phone has more to do with her personality: that phone is practically GLUED to her; she never goes anywhere without it. So even if she were off with friends (which happened once, when her friend’s car had a flat tire & they called me), I could still find them. There’s also the convenience factor: one less gizmo to keep up with.
But I do know she wants a GPS navigator. She was telling me that she can get some kind of map service now on her phone — that would be the best of both worlds, if it will also return her location.
Anyone know of a cell phone that has GPS mapping, similar to a tom-tom?
There are quite a few phones which offer navigation. The phones available to you would depend on where you live and your phone provider. Stop by a local store of your provider and they can let you know which phones and services are available.
sounds like a great service. I hope it works out.
I just added this feature to my two teen-age daughters’ phones. I definately don’t think it’s an invasion of privacy since they have been playing games with their whereabouts lately and privacy is earned until you’re an adult on your own. I love the concept, but have had problems with not being able to use it while they are on the phone or if the phone is turned off (I get the messege on the phone or computer when I try to locate them). I’ll give it a little more time and then decide if it happens more than not.