In my last post, I talked about the Zoombak GPS Locator — a small device designed to help you keep track of your stuff.  It sounded like a very cool, sci-fi idea, tailor-made for People Who Lose Things (like me), so I convinced my comrades here at Crutchfield to give this product a thorough test. We decided to have one reasonably techy person (me) one relatively normal person (Robert) and one actual technician (Shawn, from Product Support) run a set of tests to see how well the Zoombak worked.

We made Shawn go first, just in case it turned out to be harder than it looked. He activated his locator, went to Zoombak's website, and ran it through some basic tests using the find and safety zone features to target Product Support. He reported back that the Zoombak was extremely easy to use and worked just the way the manufacturers said it would, so we Creative types could probably handle it. 

Clearly, Creative needed to put the smackdown on Product Support or risk losing street cred.

Taking the Zoombak Challenge 

We couldn't hope to out-do Shawn's superior technical expertise, so we got to work, using the creative weapons in our arsenal. Robert put together a crew and actually filmed his experience, but he's still editing.  I'm staying loyal to my bloggish roots, so you, oh my bloggies, are getting the Zoombak scoop first.

 Test 1: Useability 

I wanted to live with my Zoombak Locator a while and give it a thorough test, so I kept it for a week. I started by seeing whether it could handle the metal roof in our building here at work. It didn't really do so well in the middle of the building, but whenever I got line-of-sight to a window, it transmitted like a champ. I had the same experience in my windowless kitchen (which is in the earth-sheltered part of my house). When I moved to any room with a window, my locator's reception was at least as good as my cell phone reception (often better).

The locator itself is very small and lightweight — I had no trouble sneaking it into the pocket of my husband's cargo shorts, where it sat for a good half-hour before I clued him in — so I felt pretty good about it's viability as an unobtrusive gadget. It didn't require any active participation, so he agreed to let me put the locator in his car and track him for a few days.

Test 2: Text alerts

I thought the text alert idea was very cool, so I set my cell phone up to work with Zoombak's system. Because Zoombak uses cell phone as well as GPS technology, you're not tied to a computer or a specific GPS device — just text the Zoombak site to find out where your locator currently is.

I had a lot of fun with this one, embarrassing my 13-year old by pretending my cell phone was a tricorder. I found that I got a quick, accurate response most of the time. On the rare occasions when it took more than a few seconds to report back, I was usually in an awkward area with an obstructed view of the sky.

You can also set the system up to alert you by text (or email) when it detects the locator has entered or left specific areas, or "safety zones". This feature is a neat way to keep up with say, your car, if you'd like to monitor whether it enters certain areas. I set a zone up for work and one for home.

Now, when this alert is sent, the message is time-stamped. I found the time it gave wasn't that reliable unless the alert was sent on a sunny day and the locator happened to be on flat, unobstructed terrain. It had no problem telling me whether I actually entered or left my "home" or "work" zone, but frequently it would text that I left home seconds before it texted I arrived at work. Often it wouldn't alert me that my locator had reached the safety zone for a good couple hours after I got there.

Zoombak's site does make a point of saying it's limited by local cell phone and GPS reception. Since I live in a very hilly area that often defeats or delays automatic cell phone alerts, I believe this issue can be chalked up to poor cell reception.

Because the time stamp isn't necessarily the actual time your Zoombak enters or leaves the safety zone, I wouldn't rely on this automatic feature to tell you exactly when your teenager got home from school (for that, a phone call is still best). It will, however, definitely confirm where the locator's been, depending on how you set your alerts up.

Test 3: Tracking 

If you want to track your locator on a map, you need to go to Zoombak's website. From there, you can make real time location requests, set up time-specific or round-the-clock monitoring (it'll do a location check every couple hours or so) or actively monitor at 5-minute intervals for up to an hour's worth of tracking.

My husband and I both really liked this feature. Besides being a great excuse to act out scenes from James Bond movies (complete with outrageous accents), it's useful when we're running late.

My drive home follows a dark, winding road that edges a steep ravine. By setting up an active tracking session, my husband can see whether I left work, where I currently am on my route, and gauge how long it might be before I get home. 

And Zoombak keeps location histories for up to one week, so between manual and automatic alerts, I can build a fairly accurate picture of where my husband's band is gigging during their busy season. It's a more visual way to stay connected when he has to be out of town a lot, and it comes in handy when he forgets his cell phone.

Test 4: Privacy check

I was a little concerned about how much information these things would give. James Bond games are fun, but I wouldn't want to live that way. As a member of a technologically advanced society, I must assume I'm under observation any time I leave my house, but the idea of being tracked 24/7 is just creepy — especially if I think the tracker might be pulling up to my door.

Sure, any detection device has the potential to be abused, but the Zoombak system does have safeguards in place to reduce that risk. Five-minute tracking (the shortest interval available) is limited to an hour and must be reset manually. Most people just don't have the time to sit and wait for the time clock to tick over to 00:00, and because it's not second-by-second tracking, you don't stay entertained enough to monitor obsessively. Automatic continuous monitoring is available, but they're designed to monitor stationary items, so the auto-checks run at significantly longer intervals.

The GPS is extremely accurate, so I don't doubt that Zoombak's servers can collect more information than they make available to their customers, much like cell phone companies. But we customers will never see it. Text messages and the online information popup will only pinpoint you to within a block of the dot on the map — just enough information to give you a good idea and get you within viewing/shouting distance of the locator. If you're very knowledgeable about the area, you might be able to guess the locator's at Joe's house, but you won't be given Joe's specific address.

I'm satisfied Zoombak passes the privacy test, but if you plan to use one, or any detection device, do it in a responsible manner and use your common sense. Check your local laws. Make sure your family knows you've got it — that's only fair. Tell them why you think it's important to have, and address any concerns they may raise before it becomes an issue.

What do I think? 

All in all, I've had a blast playing with the Zoombak GPS Locator, and now that it's gone, I miss it already. The Zoombak didn't take the place of my usual safety precautions, but I found that when used the way Zoombak recommends — to track a dog, locate a lost backpack or to keep tabs on the locator entering or leaving a specific location — it's a great addition to my gadgetry arsenal, and as they improve and refine this technology, I expect it'll only get better.