I read this article today and I can't say that I was too surprised. Technology has advanced so far as to use GPS for public tracking. I'm torn as to whether this is a good idea or a bad one considering that it can be a benefit for both. On the good side, parents can now rest assured that in case of emergencies, they can find their children. However, if this becomes wildly popular, I'm am quite sure that child kidnappers will throw away the shoes before proceeding anywhere with the kid. It is a must have for Alzheimer partients as stated in the article. It could save lives of those who have Alzheimers from hurting themselves or others.
The negatives of this product is the violation of privacy. What if these devices were used to track the wearer's whereabouts. It can be an invasion of privacy. As for the fine that is imposed if a report was made that was not an emergency, let us hypothetically say that the shoe is expensive, it would most likely be purchased by consumers with money. If these consumers already have the money, what is stoping them from paying the fine if they want to use it for spying purposes such as keeping track of a spouse who may be cheating, or where a teen is "actually" going. Usages like that defeat the main purpose of such a tracker.
I'm also a little weary about the niche for this kind of product. At the current time, consumers are not always willing to dish out $320-350 for a GPS and pay $19.95 a month for service fees. It seems a little extravagant for the average person. But who knows, maybe this could be the right time if people find that the new technology is so irresitable that they must get their hands on it.
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