Trakdot Cellular-Based Luggage Tracker Now Shipping After Delay

We got a look at the nifty little Trakdot luggage tracking device back in January during CES 2013, and as promised it went up for pre-order in March. At the time, a late-June shipping date was given, but things were delayed and a few extra weeks went by uneventful. The company has updated on why the delay occurred, however, and has begun shipping the device.

The shipping delay garnered some criticism from those who were expecting the device in time for mid-summer travels, and to acknowledge the inconvenience that resulted, the company is giving those who are awaiting their orders a second year of service without the annual service charge they'd normally have to pay, as well as an apology and explanation.

According to a blog post last week from the company, the device was delayed due to a hardware issue. "Our telecom provider has notified us that the reason for the prolonged period of time for activating the SIM cards was due to an error in the SIM card. We have had to replace the SIM card in all of the devices scheduled for shipment."

The tracking devices started shipping on Friday and continued to do so over the weekend. Anyone who placed their order after June 24th will have to wait a bit longer, however, until the backlog is sent out, with the next round of shipping taking place on August 2. A shipping notification email will be fired off to buyers when their device is sent out.

Trakdot doesn't utilize GPS, instead relying on cellular towers to triangulate the device's position. There's an integrated accelerometer that automatically puts the tracker in airplane mode when the plane takes off, and turns it back on when on the ground. The device itself is priced at $49.95, and comes with a $8.99 activation fee and a $12.99 annual service fee.

VIA: Engadget