Driving Activity Reporter tracks motorists

Bond using Google Earth? I don't think so
Bond using Google Earth? I don't think so

Move over Q, with Hammacher Schlemmer's newly launched Driving Activity Reporter (DAR) cutting-edge satellite tracking is available to all.

The new USB stick device combines a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with enough memory to hold up to 100 hours of driving data, including a detailed report of places visited, routes, and speeds traveled.

About the size of a pack of gum and equipped with a neodymium magnet, the Driving Activity Reporter allows "clandestine storage" and is claimed to work accurately whether placed in a glove compartment, underneath a seat, or against any metal surface on the interior or exterior of the automobile.

If it's not your car, this is probably illegal

When you manage to re-gain access to the car of your teenager, spouse or stalking victim, simply plug the DAR into a USB and download all the data.

Included software uses animated digital street mapping, graphs and text to show you the date, time, and location of every stop, it duration, and how long it took to reach the destinations. Data can also be examined using Google Earth.

The DAR has a water-, frost- and heat-resistant frame and it enters a sleep mode when the car is stationary for more than two minutes.

The included AAA batteries provide up to three weeks of power, and if the power runs out before you retrieve the device - perhaps if you're arrested for harrasment - all the data will be stored 'safely' on the integrated memory.

The Driving Activity Reporter costs $230 (£167) and is available now from catalogue kings Hammacher Schlemmer.

Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.