[Prowler]

Brief background and a confession:

I have a known issue with my memory - I forget where I park my car. Once I went to the airport to receive a foreign business associate and I parked the car next to a tree. As it happened there were few cars in the Meenambakkam international airport in the early morning. To cut a long story short, after I received the associate I started looking for my car and I couldn't find it. The car parking area was full now with lots of cars and vehicles of all sizes.

I almost contacted the police before I decided to search in an extended manner. Sure enough the car was there - sandwiched between 2 buses near the tree. The key to identify where I parked the car was a tree and in the early morning I couldn't make out that there were lots of small trees everywhere.

It was a different matter that my business associates thought I was lost - literally and figuratively. And it was not an isolated incident. I had searched for the car for hours together on many occasions.

Nonda - a California startup company sells iHere3 Car locator. The car finder is what made me buy one. What it does is, it marks the position of the car in your smart phone using the phone's GPS when you press the small key in your keychain. And then when you want to locate the car, fire up the free App in your phone and it shows the location of the car nicely mapped out with the distance in feet and the direction.

I tried the app after parking the car in an open area and sure enough it guided me precisely to the exact location. But when I tried the app when I parked the car inside a shopping mall, it couldn't guide me. Fair enough - as my iPhone's GPS wouldn't get a precise reading inside a covered car park.

In all it is a useful piece of high tech device for people like me.
Mods: Please feel free to move this to the appropriate area if it is in the wrong place.

[mayankk]

I thought you had a solution to my problem, But this has the same issue of GPS. Sample this. The mall where I go, used to have a one level of parking, which itself was massive, and I had trouble finding my car. Now my wife (and I by extension) has started frequenting one which has a similarly big space, but three floors!!!
I have started taking pictures of the poles next to the car when I park, but last weekend, I pointed my hand out of the drivers window, over the bonnet of a hatch parked next to mine, and took a picture. And a lanky young 18 year old came out of the drivers side, shouting, "OYE!!". Hanky panky, I believe. An explanation of the situation sent him back to whatever he needed to go back to.

Can this issue be tackled somehow? Most of us are lazy, tired or old. Hence forgetful.

[Divya Sharan]

How about just clicking a wide angled shot/few pictures on the phone?

Though I usually remember where I park my car in known locations, but sometimes basement parking in the mall or open parking at the airport surrounded by trees confuses me. So, I just take a couple of pictures of the car and nearby marker points.
In mall basements, it is usually the pillars named as B1, B2 etc.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by Prowler

I tried the app after parking the car in an open area and sure enough it guided me precisely to the exact location. But when I tried the app when I parked the car inside a shopping mall, it couldn't guide me. Fair enough - as my iPhone's GPS wouldn't get a precise reading inside a covered car park.

Clicking a photo of the pillar to which you parked the car is the best answer I could give you. I do it all the time because otherwise its very very difficult to locate my car. I think barring basements the app would work fine anyways.

EDIT: Another car finder cum smart charger but same limitation as others, would prompt you to take a picture when it loses GPS connection.

http://www.amazon.com/Charger-Produc...meq751biy0g-20

[Skyline_GT]

While so far i haven't ever had the need to do it but i would rather clickthe picture of the surroundings or pillars in basements rather than an app. Simply cause one cannot guarantee how well the network coverage would be at any point of time. Also something i use quite frequently in an overcrowded parking lot is to use the lock button on my car key so that the car alarm chirps and i follow the sound of the chirp to my car. Simple and effective works all the time.

[SmartCat]

I have a "Car Key" finding problem

I have misplaced it many times at home. Although we have a small bowl in a drawer where we keep all keys, I forget to remove it from the pant pockets when I walk in!

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by mayankk

I thought you had a solution to my problem, But this has the same issue of GPS. Sample this. The mall where I go, used to have a one level of parking, which itself was massive, and I had trouble finding my car. Now my wife (and I by extension) has started frequenting one which has a similarly big space, but three floors!!!

And a lanky young 18 year old came out of the drivers side, shouting, "OYE!!". Hanky panky, I believe.
Can this issue be tackled somehow? Most of us are lazy, tired or old. Hence forgetful.

That is a good laugh - hanky panky. I read in some review that it is not all lost as the GPS signal can still be picked up if the car parking bay has one side open. In malls, I just jot down the pillar number next to the car at the back of the parking ticket.

Originally Posted by fine69

Clicking a photo of the pillar to which you parked the car is the best answer I could give you. I do it all the time because otherwise its very very difficult to locate my car. I think barring basements the app would work fine anyways.

EDIT: Another car finder cum smart charger but same limitation as others, would prompt you to take a picture when it loses GPS connection.

http://www.amazon.com/Charger-Produc...meq751biy0g-20

Taking a picture of the car - I am afraid - is a bit embarrassing as the car next to mine may have a female getting in or out Or even if it is a male , it could still be embarrassing like in Mayankk's case.
The ZUS car charger cum Car finder is from the same nonda people and probably shares the same app.

[.anshuman]

Google Now works perfectly fine with all of the Android phones I have owned. Whenever I park my car in a open location it saves the location automatically and the location can be accessed and navigated in Google maps anytime i wish through Google Now(Search) app.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Taking a picture of the car - I am afraid - is a bit embarrassing as the car next to mine may have a female getting in or out Or even if it is a male , it could still be embarrassing like in Mayankk's case

Well then you need to couple the app with something like this

http://www.amazon.com/iSaddle-TOMAHA.../dp/B00J0CX6YQ

or

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-7bR2ALq...CA6553SST.html

or better yet

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/two-w...961961717.html

The range on some of the devices is mindboggling, from 3000 ft to a mile. Not to mention when you flaunt something like this to your business associates next time you pick them up. Imagine coming back to a nicely cooled car, that'd be wicked!!

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by smartcat

I have a "Car Key" finding problem

I have misplaced it many times at home. Although we have a small bowl in a drawer where we keep all keys, I forget to remove it from the pant pockets when I walk in!

That is easy with this iHere. Just press some key in the app and the iHere starts responding by emitting a tone. Long time ago we had a keyfinder which will respond to a whistling sound. This one uses Bluetooth.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Google Now works perfectly fine with all of the Android phones I have owned. Whenever I park my car in a open location it saves the location automatically and the located can be accessed and navigated in Google maps anytime i wish through Google Now(Search) app.

I don't dispose of my mobiles. I still have 2 Android phones, one Windows phone Lumia 520 or something with me. So I can use one Android phone (it runs Android 4.4 or something around that) just for this.

How do I enable this function in the Google now ?

@fine69 : Thanks. It is a fine example of High tech from fine69. Sorry couldn't resist the pun. BTW All the products you showed are pricey and require extensive splicing of wiring harness.

[GTO]

This device relies on GPS, just like Google which does it for FREE. Honestly, a pointless device when you have free services. More info.

In areas without GPS - basements & multi-level car parking lots - I like the idea of taking a picture of the pillar next to it.

Originally Posted by Skyline_GT

Also something i use quite frequently in an overcrowded parking lot is to use the lock button on my car key so that the car alarm chirps and i follow the sound of the chirp to my car.

[IshaanIan]

I would not call it high tech. This simply saves a pin on gps instead of you doing it directly from your phone (easily possible) it adds a button on your keychain. Looks like a cumbersome inefficient method IMO. Something that has location transmitting and receiving capabilities would make it more relevant. I am sure there must be devices you can plug into your OBD port that do precisely that and would remain a much better option for you IMO along with plenty of other added functionalities they retail for anywhere between 100-200USD and perhaps you should look into such an option.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by Prowler

So I can use one Android phone (it runs Android 4.4 or something around that) just for this.

How do I enable this function in the Google now ?

Here is how Google Now will help you: https://support.google.com/websearch.../6015842?hl=en

Works well with Samsung Note 3, Note 4, Xiaomi Mi5.