Track your phone without Bluetooth or GPS with iTraq

By now, you’ve probably heard of the American digital journalist who lost his iPhone then became an instant celebrity in China when people started following his story and eventually tracked down the man who inadvertently became the new owner of his smartphone. But not all of us who misplace our phones will have that kind of luck. A new IndieGoGo campaign gives you the power to track your lost or stolen gadgets (and people too!), even if they’re brough to another country or continent, as long as there are cell towers.

iTraq is a product that forgetful people will be able to find useful, and you don’t even need to use GPS or Bluetooth to be able to track your lost object. The cellular tracker instead uses the power of the cell towers where your object is currently located. We all know that Bluetooth only has a limited range and that the GPS quickly drains any device that uses it. At least as long as there are cell towers near it, then you’ll be able to find out where your smartphone is or practically anything that you attach the tracker to (bag, laptop, yes, even a human being).

The device itself is also pretty handy. It’s as small as a credit card, but just a little bit thicker. You can place it in your car’s glove compartment or under the seat of your bike. You can put it on a strap or tape it to an object. You can insert it into your smartphone or tablet’s casing. You can set it to sleep to minimize energy consumption, and then set a time when it will wake up. The location of what you’re tracking will then be displayed on the app or on its website (which will be protected by your log-in details of course).

The original campaign has already been funded 752% as of April 4. This goes to show how much people believe they need a product like this. You can still support it though, for as low as $49 for one iTraq. But hey, you know you don’t need just one right?

SOURCE: IndieGoGo

This is a crowdfunded project, and as such may not deliver what its creators initially promise. Most crowdfunding sites, like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, have policies about what happens to your money if the project fails to deliver on its goals, but choosing to back a project is inevitably a risk. Android Community’s reporting on crowdfunded projects should in no way be seen as an endorsement, unless specifically stated, and we recommend closely examining the terms and conditions to understand your individual rights as a backer before making a pledge.