By K. Oanh Ha
Mercury News
One of the oldest global positioning technology firms, Sunnyvale’s Trimble, is banking that consumers will want a portable tracking device versatile enough to trace the movements of a car as well as a valuable suitcase.
That’s the idea behind the TrimTrac, a device about the size of a chalkboard eraser.
The TrimTrac, which is being released this month, is a global positioning gadget that contains the guts of a cell phone and a motion sensor. It fixes an item’s location every 15 minutes and broadcasts the position via cell phone to a network. Running on four AA batteries, the TrimTrac turns itself on when it senses movement.
The cost for keeping tabs on your possessions is about $160. TrimTrac owners also will have to pay a monthly Internet fee of $6 to $8 to view online an item’s location or a “trail of bread crumbs” as it moves.
“You can throw it into your glove compartment or put it in the trunk of your car to track where your teenager has been with the car,” Trimble executive Dennis Workman said.
The TrimTrac also could be tossed into a backpack to track a person’s movements. Such a use does “raise some privacy issues,” Workman acknowledges.
The gadget is set to compete against the popular LoJack car security system, which sells for $395 to $595 but does not incur a monthly fee. Workman said Trimble’s marketing research shows consumers are more willing to pay a monthly fee than to pay a higher upfront purchasing price.
Trimble executives said interest in the TrimTrac has been expressed by car leasing companies and corporations with employees working in dangerous areas. Police officers and firefighters also see the device as a way to add a measure of security in emergencies, they said.