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Track a Soda Can with GPS?

Posted by michael on from the drink-pepsi dept.

I am Kobayashi writes "According to the Indianapolis Star Online, next summer Coca-cola will feature a promotion in which winners will be located by satellites tracking GPS devices implanted in the winning cans.... Hopefully they track you fast before you throw-away (or recycle) your winning can...." And in another bit of Coke news, they've got a new high-tech billboard: jhkoh writes "Reuters/Yahoo is reporting that Coca-Cola has unveiled an 'intelligent' billboard in London's Piccadilly Circus -- at 99 feet wide, the world's biggest -- that supposedly will respond to weather, movement, and SMS text messages. The billboard itself is 52 square meters of LED display. How soon before someone hacks it?"

4 of 346 comments (clear)

  1. GPS Reception by c_oflynn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hmm... GPS reception inside aluminum cans? Seems a bit sketchy if you ask me.

    AND it will have to transmit as well, thats going to be a nice piece of technology.

    But seems you could possibly cheat - there are devices to detect semiconductor material (used to detect "bugs"), so with a bit of tweaking you could possibly figure out which can has something inside.

    1. Re:GPS Reception by burtonator · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Cheating was the first thing I thought of actually.

      Lets call this warcoking :)

      If they want to track you that means they have transmit which means I can potentially receive the signal.

      An easy way to game this would be to hang outside a Coke distribution center with antenna and a decent laptop.

      You just sit in your car and try to find coke machines that are leaving the facility and are transmiting.

      Then you follow the truck until it stops its xmit and you found your store. Then you go in and scan the shelves with the laptop until you find the right can.

      Bingo...

      What would be really funny to do is the money from the contest to buy another GPS ;)

      ha

      Kevin

  2. Re:NOT GPS!!! by stratjakt · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The oddity of Coke's promotion revolves around how winners will get their prizes. The cans used will be equipped with Global Positioning System transponders

    Don't feel bad, I'm sure you didn't know what GPS stood for, thinking it was just another hip sounding acronymn you saw on slashdot.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  3. I wonder how they will get around the legal issues by hchaos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In general, in the US, it is illegal to have a sweepstakes-style contest that requires a purchase for entry (because it is technically gambling).