GPS is Watching

As many of you know, here in the U.S., FCC is now requiring cellular phone carriers to provide a way to track the location of wireless 911 calls for use by police and other safety organizations. Some folks think it's a great thing. Your car breaks down at night at some unknown point between point A and point B and the tow-truck driver can easily find you based on the GPS signal sent out by your cell phone. If you're the victim of a crime or even reporting a crime that you've witnessed, the authorities can find the scene more quickly. Others think that GPS in cell phones is a tremendous invasion of privacy, allowing authorities (or your boss) to know your location at all times. In any event, in the near future, if you're evading the police or taking a mental health day from work, be sure to chuck your cell phone out the window. This week, we heard about one of the contenders in the race to put a tracking device in your mobile phone. A company called Traxsis just finished a round of field tests on its new X-Pak GPS accessory. And for you conspiracy theorists, Traxis says that along with providing for E911 and intelligent roadside assistance, the device can be used for "customized workforce management" and (whatever this means) "personalized concierge services." X-Pak puts GPS and wireless technology into your cellular phone's battery pack. The accessory, along with Traxsis' network-side software, can pinpoint where you and your phone are. Big Brother is calling.