A Finnish invention hits Asia: Keep track of your loved ones

Have you ever been searching for someone without finding them or wondering where they are? And would you like to get notified in case your car gets stolen and be able to track its location? Thanks to a Finnish invention it’s all possible.


By Rikke Bjerge Johansen


A tracker called Tramigo is now on the Asian market.
Like other good electronic devices this tracker is invented by a guy from Finland, 33 years old Arto Tiitinen.
He came up with the idea in 2002 together with a Finnish friend and a Canadian guy. And it has become a big success and is the most selling tracker worldwide.
“We sell most Tramigo’s in Mexico and Nigeria where people buy them for all purposes. They put them in their children’s school bags if they’re worried they won’t come straight home from school. Others put them in their expensive car so they can track it if it gets stolen – or keep an eye on their driver to see where he’s at. Some even put it on their hotel or front door so they can get an alert if someone breaks in,” Arto Tiitinen tells.
He’s originally from Helsinki but has been living in Thailand for the last ten years with his Thai wife. They are currently staying in Phuket with their ten months old baby son, but because Arto is so busy with promoting his tracker, he spent more than 300 nights in a hotel last year.
“Then I sometimes use the tracker to listen to him. It has a microphone so I can hear him,” he says.


Afraid of “big brother”
Arto claims that the tracker is only made for the purpose to keep track of your loved ones and things, like cars and yachts. But he admits that it can also be used for other purposes, like checking up on a cheating husband or keep an eye on a maid or a nanny – or to check how fast a chauffeur or your son is actually driving in your car.
“Of course someone can abuse the tracker, like any other electronic equipment. You can also abuse a cell phone for wrong purposes. But I’m sure most people who buy the tracker only use it when they are concerned,” Arto says.
He has experienced that especially Western people are sceptical about the “Big Brother”-device and that people in other parts of the world have another view on the tracker.
“I know a mother from Mexico who was concerned because her two teenage sons always went out to party. She bought the tracker so she could always find them again if they didn’t come home,” he says and adds:
“But still, most people buy them to put them in their cars, boats or on motorbikes. Just in case something happens.” 



Facts:
Basically, the tracker Tramigo is not much bigger than a cell phone. When you have bought it in a shop (the price is around 300 US dollars+tax) you put in a prepaid phone card, the same you use for  mobile phones, and then you connect your tracker to your mobile via a simple system that is all in the Tramigo package. Then you can always locate the tracker buy sending a text message to it and it will reply with a text message saying where it is. If you buy the tracker in Thailand it has ten thousand build in landmarks build in plus the boarding countries. And you can also add your own, like “home”, all hotels you stay at, etc. You can also set it up to give you a message when the tracker, which can be in a school bag, is close to home. Or if you go on a holiday, you can leave the tracker in your parked car and it can send a message to your phone if someone is moving the car. The battery can last minimum 48 hours up to three months.   


 



 

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