Last Friday night we were heading home from visiting some friends in Lanikai. We decided to pull over and walk down to the beach to look for Mars, which is very “close” to earth this month and shining bright in the sky. We were gone no more than 20 minutes, yet in that time the front window of my car was smashed and my purse was stolen. With my iPhone 3GS inside, wallet and credit cards, and a few coupons and lip balm.

Luckily, Shane had his phone on him, so we could call the police and report the incident. I was not freaking out. To many people, the loss of phone and wallet is truly like losing major parts of oneself! To me, it was an opportunity to let technology work for me, and of course, get a new iPhone 4! I could barely wait to get home and start tracking where my phone was IRL (in real life.)

My Tech and Internet Guardian Angels

I had enabled the “Find My Phone” feature that interacts with the GPS on the device. As soon as I got to a computer, (any computer with a web browser would do), I logged in and could see right where my phone was: Kalanianaole Highway near the Circle K/76 Gas Station in Waimanalo. I could then follow it to the back yard of a specific residence. With a Kailua policeman standing over my shoulder, he was calling his counterpart who was knocking on the door of the residence. Continue reading…

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