Gizmodo
TrackingTheWorld has come up with a potential solution to the problem of letters that go missing in action. Letter Logger is a quarter-inch-thick device that fits into a standard number 10 business envelope and allows the US Postal Service to track its progress throughout the system alongside Google Earth. Here's how it works.
Letter Logger consists of a powerful microprocessor developed by Texas Instruments, and a low-power consumption uBlox ANTARIS 4 GPS module, and is powered by a slim 1100mAh battery. It can be deployed in two different ways. Users can choose to receive reports every two, five or ten minutes (which would, I think, drive you nuts) if Letter Logger is in Constant mode, or they can go for Tilt mode, which notifies you only when the envelope is tilted. Constant mode gives you 20 hours' battery life, while Tilt mode will keep tabs for two weeks.
The service starts up on January 2 next year and it won't be available to the general public. It's a shame the British Government's Customs and Revenue department didn't have access to this when the CD-Rs containing 25 million people's bank details got lost in transit earlier this month. [Tracking the World via Engadget]
Comments
at 1/4" thick, its going to be more than one stamp there, buddy...
I want something like this for when I ship my household across country.
I want to see where that damn truck went... so if it turns up one box short I can put the police onto the detoured route....
Tilt mode? What the hell do you need that feature for???
Eek. I can see it now - "Everyone clear the building, there's a letter b0mb in the mailroom." So then they'll put it in a specially marked envelope. And then the bad guys will put their b0mb in the same (faked) marked envelope. Um, why does this seem like a bad idea?
@mandarin: "Tilt mode? What the hell do you need that feature for???"
letters are tilted when they move. The last place a tilt coordinate was broadcast from will also be the current location of the letter.
@mandarin:
yeah im wondering that myself. maybe there a stat that says "95% of mail thieves do not hold their mail parallel with the ground plane of the earth"
because no mail thief would ever think of separating the contents of the envelope from the big hunk of plastic that says "GPS TRACKER" on it. so since he'll definately keep that with your stuff, and bring it all back to his home, you have nothing to worry about.
@mandarin: Yeah, how about a mode that checks the location every hour?
I know I get giddy waiting for a FedEx package from newegg or monoprice. I could not imagine getting updates every 2 minutes. "What?!? It is stuck at a traffic light?"
A bit overkill for such rapid updates, but I am sure there is a need somewhere. Maybe for payroll checks being sent to remote offices.
i got it!
tilt mode is for when you'r shipping a small, metal sphere and at isn't quite going where you want it to.
Yeah, where I live it generally takes two days to get mail from across the street, so Constant Mode would be a bust. But what if my package has fallen behind a piece of equipment somewhere and is not tilted? Tilt mode would never identify where it is... [Yes, I once got a Christmas card about 3.4 years later, slightly spindled and smudged with an oily mystery stain or two... Merry Xmas, USPS!]
I vote for Hourly Ping mode. Call me when you've got that working..
Fantastic product - shame it came a bit late for UK government who managed to ship 25M citizens records on discs, and erm let them 'go missing' in the mail.
Name, Address, Phone Number , Post (Zip) code, Bank account details, Kids name (password?), NI (SSN) number and more..
[news.bbc.co.uk]
@bertiebassett:
I heart that in the Danish morning tvnews too.. :P
Silly brits
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