Trapster: mobile utility locates speed traps


If you've ever been caught in a speed trap and thought, "I wish someone had warned me!" then we have just the service for you. Trapster lets users report speed traps as they find them, using their mobile devices. There's even support for Jott, a voice-to-text service, so that you can make a report and still keep your hands on the wheel. The coolest part, though, is that Trapster will warn you through your mobile phone if you're approaching any of the speed traps it knows about.

The front page of the site features an informative Google Map, visualizing Trapster's whole database. This is cool, but it doesn't do a whole lot of good while you're actually on the road. That's why there's a Trapster app for Nokia Smartphones, BlackBerries, and phones with Windows Mobile 5 or 6. If you don't want to keep Trapster running all the time, you can just turn on SMS alerts to be informed when a new trap is reported in your area.

The Trapster team has taken into account that people might feel uncomfortable attaching a name to the info they send in, so anonymous reporting via email is also an option. Don't be too worried about Trapster getting shut down by the cops anyway. What's the harm in encouraging people to slow down?

Tags: driving, mobile, phone, sms, trapster