As reported on Engadget.
BY CHRIS VELAZCO
The kooky folks behind the (frankly awful) i’m Watch are a mainstay at Mobile World Congress. This year they’ve got something a little more useful to show off: it’s called the i’m Tracer, and it’s the evolution of another GPS tracker the company has highlighted before. The Tracer is a wearable mashup of a GPS module and a GSM radio the Italian company hopes will help you keep tabs on your kids when it launches this summer.
We can’t blame you if that formula sounds a little familiar. The (non-final) hardware is a little clunky, thanks mostly to the battery tucked away in there. Representatives say the i’m Tracer should last for about three days of regular location updates, which means you can squeeze more prolonged use out of it than with an OG Galaxy Gear. It doesn’t help that the Tracer lacks a display too — it’s purely a bracelet for the errant human(s) in your life. At least i’m saw fit to throw an accelerometer into the mix so your kid’s tumbles are recorded for posterity, and tykes in distress can press a button to call a preset emergency contact.
It’s the iOS and Android companion app that really impresses here. The basics are well accounted for: you can view the Tracer’s location on a map, trace geofenced safe zones on a map with your finger, and thumb through a detailed history of your kid’s travels. If you’re in desperate need to find your children though, you can also fire up an augmented reality mode to display their location as a glowing blue beacon over a live image from your phone’s camera. The team is kicking around a potential price tag between €140 and €160. That’s a quite bit to spend on some plastic for your wrist, but it should stick with a kid better than a budget smartphone will. And hey, you can’t put a price on your child’s safety, right? (Don’t answer that.)