Recently tried out Globe’s Family/Friend tracker service, which they newly promoted. The locations it gives me were, while technically correct, can be misleading. I wouldn’t have tried the service if it weren’t for my mom who asked to enroll me so she can supposedly track me.

Anyway, based on the results, I think that the tracker service returns the location of the cell site the mobile phone is registered to. No complicated triangulation it seems. So the accuracy probably depends on the cell site density of a given area. In Metro Manila, I think it’s accurate to about 500 meters.

From my office in Eastwood City, my location is supposedly “in the general area of Barangay Hall, Brgy. Evangelista, Santolan, Pasig City.” It’s correct, Santolan is just across the Marikina River from Eastwood, but it’s misleading. You’d have to travel quite a bit just to get to Santolan from Eastwood.

At home in Las Piñas, I get “in the general area of Uniwide Sales Metromall, Brgy. Pamplona Tres, Las Piñas City,” which is okay enough. Some dead-on accurate locations I got were “in the general area of Coastal Toll Plaza, Coastal Rd. Brgy. San Dionisio, Parañaque City” and “in the general area of Corinthian Gardens-EDSA, Brgy. Ugong Norte, Quezon City.”

Smart-ZED has had the location thingy for a few years now. Globe only offered it this year. It’s mildly useful, but heaven help those paranoid significant people and their significant others. (You’ll either hear, “Why won’t you let me track you?!” or “What were you doing at <place>? I thought you’re doing overtime at the office?!”) Away na ito!