TORONTO – Remember the old TV PSAs that asked: "It’s 10 o’clock, do you know where your children are?"
Well, thanks to Bell Canada, which yesterday launched the first location-based wireless service for families in Canada, a few clicks will let parents perfectly triangulate exactly where their cell phone toting young’uns are – if not what they’re up to.
Seek & Find is designed with peace of mind, ease-of-use and security, giving parents the ability to determine their children’s whereabouts – 24×7 – by using their mobile phone and the Internet, says the press release.
"Seek & Find is a tool to help parents tackle the challenges faced by many of today’s busy families," said Alek Krstajic, president, Bell Mobility, in the release.
The service lets parents view the "real time" location of family members on a map; set up regular location alerts that correspond with daily routines such as arrivals from work or school; receive location reports of family members at specified intervals; and implement an easy-to-use and affordable technology to help manage busy lives
In terms of privacy, Seek & Find comes with necessary pass codes and mandatory permission requirements that puts the customer in control.
Those being located will receive notification when it happens by a text message relayed to their handset (probably closely followed by a barely audible “aww mom…”), while the location of the person being located is displayed on a map on the Internet. Service can be temporarily deactivated by shutting the handset off or by changing the setting in the phone.
Seek & Find uses Bell Mobility’s Assisted GPS (Global Position Satellite) solution which combines the accuracy of GPS technology, CDMA network triangulation (AFLT) and cell site location technology to provide reliable location fixes in a wide variety of surroundings, including urban indoor and outdoor environments.
The service can be added to new and existing Bell Mobility accounts for a $5 monthly fee, which includes 20 locates per month. Out of bundle locates are $0.25 per locate. There is also a pay-per-use option available at $0.50 per locate.
