Every once in a while I like to skim through Kickstarter and Indiegogo to see if there are any promising new technologies looking to enter the GPS market like the extremely successful Trakr or the Iotera. Today, I heard about a new GPS tracker from KOMODO Technologies and wanted to tell you about it. As always, I caution readers to be wary with crowdfunding projects, as there is always some risk. This one, however, looks like pretty minimal risk and for the right user, quite a bit of reward.
What is it?
KOMODO is crowdfunding the KOMODO Ecotrack, a small GPS tracker that they claim is the “World’s First GPS Ecosystem.” I’m not really sure what they mean by that, but the device does look ridiculously versatile and has a lot of features including:
- real time location tracking (advertised as both indoor and outdoor)
- motion detection
- excessive acceleration/brake detection
- Impact detection
- Geofencing
- Temperature sensor
- Qi Wireless charging
- 3G/GPS for location
- Google Maps-based mapping interface
- Panic alerts
- Standby mode for longer battery life
- App and internet tracking
The main idea behind this device is that you can use it to track pretty much anything from a loved one or pet to valuables or even luggage. The battery life is advertised as a day or two of constant use, but it does have a standby mode to increase that depending on how long whatever you are tracking is moving.
According to the Kickstarter page (which is horribly organized) the device seems to use both a cellular connection and GPS technology and, therefore, requires a monthly or yearly fee. The monthly fee to access the location services is around $7 and the yearly fee is $70. The monthly subscription does not include a contract and can be cancelled at any time.
How much is it?
The KOMODO Ecosystem can be yours with an earlybird pledge of $115, or $130 after that expires. The expected retail price is probably around $160, but since the company is based in Canada, the USD price may fluctuate slightly. The device comes in black or white, and presumably access to the website and accompanying mobile app is free with your purchase.
What’s the catch?
This is the question that always comes with crowdfunding, especially in the technology market. What’s the catch? Well, despite the slightly disorganized Kickstarter page, I have to say this particular project actually looks pretty reliable.
According to the developers, the device is actually completely finished and the only thing they need money for is the actual manufacturing process. KOMODO is looking for about $24,000 for this last step and, to try and help backers feel more confident about such a tiny goal and a lofty aim, the project has apparently already received a couple of certifications including CE and Health and Safety.
Check out this video from the developers for more information, or visit the Kickstarter page:
