Tracking App Secretly Records Owner's Whereabouts

SolarSpark Productions has introduced Pro Track 1.0 for iPhone, their new utility that allows users to secretly record all movements made, and locations visited by anyone carrying an iPhone. Employing a combination of GPS and Cell Tower tracking data, all entries are stored in a log with date and time, and may be examined by opening Pro Track. The multi-tasking app runs invisibly in the background, and the owner may use the device and all its functions normally. Setting the app for maximum accuracy warns, "Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life."

Pro Track can be used to shadow anyone who carries an iPhone. It could be the user's 12-year-old daughter or aged father. It could also be the user's spouse, business associate, or girlfriend. Or it could easily be a courier service or other business, keeping track of their employees. The technology itself is neutral; only in specific cases might ethical questions arise. Clearly, creative technocrats will find unthought-of uses for a veritably tamper-proof, minute-accurate log of where someone has been and how they got there.

Feature Highlights:
* Secretly track the movements of any iPhone owner
* Five accuracy levels
* Tracking is performed invisibly in the background
* Records a detailed log of date, time, and location
* Ideal for long-term tracking over months, or short-term over hours


The app manual refers to the person being tracked as "the target", and recommends that the user weigh battery life versus required tracking accuracy when doing the initial setup. Five buttons offer a selection of accuracy settings: 3 km (1.8 miles), 1 km (0.6 miles), 100 m (328 feet), 10 m (32 feet), and Best (10 feet). For tracking over weeks or longer the 3 km setting is recommended, since it does not use the built-in GPS function at all, and consumes little power. The user can expect log entries to be made approximately every 3 km. With iOS 4 Apple introduced a new, supplementary positioning system based on a complex algorithm performing continuous positional triangulations between cell phone towers. And because the iPhone is constantly in "Receive" mode, searching for cell towers, these location coordinates are purchased with practically no cost to the battery. This continuous, background, global positioning system Apple calls Region Monitoring.

Choosing one of the more accurate settings activates the GPS system. At the Best setting the GPS remains on in the background continuously, providing extremely accurate data. Other settings employ the GPS only intermittently, helping to preserve battery power. Opening the app after it has been running allows the user to view the tracking log and all locations on the full screen satellite and/or street map. If the app has been stopped and re-started, this fact will appear on the log. The log data is displayed using Apple's infinite, rotating odometer with a horizontal colored line highlighting the fifth of ten visible entries.

"Have you ever wondered where your spouse has been all day?" asked SolarSpark Productions CEO, Spark So. "Now, with Pro Track for iPhone, you can get the answer."

Pricing and Availability:
Pro Track 1.0 is only $1.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Utilities category. Review copies are available upon request.


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