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Written by asap
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Sunday, 04 February 2007 |
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Call this LoJack for shoes.
A new line of sneakers comes equipped with GPS — "a shoe that has the potential to save lives," according to a press release from Isaac Daniel. Because let's face it, hundreds of people set out for a long run alone without their cell phones and find themselves lost in the park.
But with the Compass line sneakers, which come in men's and women's models, the wearer can push an alarm on the side of the shoe, sending an emergency signal to the company's monitoring station, which can pinpoint the location of the shoes and send a signal to law enforcement authorities.
Sounds so technologically savvy, and only slightly ridiculous.
But it's no laughing matter when you consider all the recent missing person cases — climbers stuck in a blizzard on Fort Hood, a family stranded in the woods, a boy lost in Crater Lake National Park. Could GPS shoes actually save lives?
Enoch Choi, an urgent care doctor who blogs on medical technology, says GPS shoes could help track people with dementia, young children and delirious hikers.
But he points out that GPS technology can be spotty, dropping in and out like cell phone service. Will these shoes work in the forest, or in the mountains? Andrea Thompson, a spokeswoman for Isaac Daniel, told asap there's no guarantee the shoes will work inside, but adds the shoes will work outdoors, anywhere in the world.
"We call it a second eye watching over you," Daniel has said.
Which all sounds a little ... creepy. At least for those of us not hiking in the snow.
It's bad enough people can find us with cell phones. Most new cell phones have GPS, and phone companies can estimate the location of the ones that don't.
Then there's the $325-$350 price tag for few features. The Nike + iPod records time, distance, pace and calories and lets you listen to Rocky for inspiration.
So for me, I'm sticking with plain ol' New Balance, cell phone in tow.
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Compass sneakers: http://www.isaacdaniel.com .
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Megan Scott is an asap reporter. | Only registered users can write comments.
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