mobloc8

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

This article looks at a few applications to track children (and cars) using GPS-enabled mobile phones. As the reporter points out, these types of applications always hit up against the “Big Brother” issue - people simply don’t like the idea that they’re being tracked everywhere they go.

Child experts and parents agree that while such devices may temporarily solve reckless driving and help keep children safe, they do not address the underlying parent-child trust issue. Parents must stay involved in their children’s lives and maintain an open channel of communication to keep children safe, said Dr. Joanne Kaufman, professor of sociology at the University of Miami.

“Such devices facilitate, but don’t replace, actual parenting,” Kaufman said. “If the parent is always intervening, the kid is never going to learn how to be independent.”

What do you think? Under what circumstances do you think it’s OK to track your teenager’s location? Would your kids agree with you?

From America’s Network.

This is the first offering from a new partnership between Nextel and MapQuest. Services available include a “find me” service to allow a user to pinpoint their location on a map on their phone, services to locate nearby restaurants, hotels, airports, hospitals, etc, as well as maps and navigation directions.

There is also a web-based component to the service, which allows users to share their location anywhere on Nextel’s nationwide network with friends and family. The web site can also be used to track their location history, for example to document a road trip.

From America’s Network.

The FCC appears to be standing firm on their Dec 31, 2005 deadline for wireless carriers to implement E911 solutions.

Sprint, Nextel Communications and Verizon Wireless are pursuing handset-based solutions, while Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile USA are pursuing network-based solutions.

According to NENA:

• 71.5% of the 3,135 counties in the US have implemented Phase I
• 33.8% of counties have implemented Phase II
• 73.4% of the 6,166 public safety answering points (PSAPs) have implemented Phase I
• 40.5% of PSAPs have implemented Phase II

There are still issues with getting Tier 3 carriers (mostly rural) to meet the deadline. The biggest obstacle appears to be cost. Several groups of Tier 3 carriers have banded together into the “Tier III Coalition” to lobby for exemption from the FCC requirements.