| November 8, 2009 9:18 PM Life360 Protects Your Family & Property Via Web, Mobile, & More. Written by Jolie O'Dell Life360 is often described as an "OnStar for life," providing its users with tools to track and protect people and things through a variety of interfaces. | The company offers IRL services such as child identification paraphernalia, medical IDs, and credit and identity protection; but they also have a cool suite of features that revolve around Internet and mobile tracking of people, objects, and even pets. Their Android application for tracking and securely messaging people even netted them a seed round from Google The concept for the company, which was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, revolves around disaster preparedness and emergency messaging. Currently, the available features include an emergency messenger that uses email, web, SMS, and phone to get messages through to emergency contacts; a thorough, web-enabled ID service that gives first responders instant access to critical information; a service for cataloging and tracking valuable items via coded tags; and identity protection services. | | The mobile tracking feature - which got the company a $300,000 investment from Google - allows users to locate family members using the web interface or the mobile application. Custom privacy settings allow users to find loved ones in an emergency, check their locations, see their statuses, and retrace their previous locations. While the company states this will not make family members feel stalked, we see this app as Cheaters fodder as well as a great way to keep track of the ones you care about most during times of crisis. The Android app allows users to access all their Life360 services from their phones. Right now, Android devices are supported, with a BlackBerry app coming soon and an iPhone app stuck in App Store purgatory. | | Another "coming soon" service we thought was cool - and also excellent Cheaters fodder - is a GPS-enabled tracking dongle that can be thrown in a bag, duct-taped to the underside of a car, tossed onto a pet's collar, stapled to a child - you name it. Life360 founder Chris Hulls told us in an email that he hopes to roll out the hardware within the next six months. "There will be an additional fee, probably in the neighborhood of $100 for the device and $10 per month for each tracked person," he said. Some other GPS- and mobile-enabled features Hulls plans to release within the next year are a Curfew 2.0 app, a check-in system for "distributed" families to touch base, and customized alerts for emergency notifications in a user's specific location | Open article at readwriteweb.com
| About readwriteweb.com © 2003-2009 ReadWriteWeb | | | Tracker | Ability to find your family when it counts the most - Use a cell phone to track your family in real-time
- Use a GPS device for wandering children
- Complete privacy controls keep you in charge
| | Who is it for? Anyone (especially those of us with young kids) who would like the peace of mind that comes from knowing you can always locate family members (and pets - hey, they're family too). What does it do? Using either your existing mobile phone or a dedicated GPS tracking device, the Tracker widget allows you to locate your family members using www.life360.com, or our mobile phone application. Custom privacy settings allow you to find your family in an emergency, while not making them feel like they are being watched all the time. Not only can you check a family members location, but you can also see individual family members' statuses or trace back their steps if needed. | | Open web page at life360.com
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