Fashionable footwear from Nike and Adidas may deliver style and prestige, but they haven’t got what Isaac Daniel’s Compass™ shoes deliver – peace of mind, thanks to an embedded microcomputer and GPS device.

“The people who can benefit most from wearing Isaac Daniels’ GPS-enabled footwear,” says Fele president David Sanderson in a video on Isaac Daniel “will be those that are in security situations, such as the military, children, people that are sailing or hiking in the mountains – or other people that have a situation where they need to be found or monitored. This is unique because our monitoring service is 24/7 and worldwide.”

Inventor and businessman Isaac Daniel came up with the idea for GPS-equipped sneakers in 2002, after authorities at his young son’s school contacted him, fearing that his son had gone missing. Though the incident proved to be a false alarm (his son had stepped into the bathroom while waiting for a bus), it prompted Daniel – a former scientific analyst for the U.N. – to begin designing a line of sneakers using GPS technology. Daniel’s Florida-based Fele Footwear Corporation (he is chairman and CEO) now manufactures the comfortable and eye-catching line of Compass™ shoes for men and women in 7 different models and 19 irresistible color combinations.

Enhanced Security For Parents and Caregivers
Because of the number of families raising children or caring for an elderly loved one, the Compass™ line of shoes has tremendous growth potential. Retail stores are placing orders by the tens of thousands; individuals may place advance orders for adult and children’s shoes (sizes 1 to 13) at www.isaacdaniel.com. Compass™ shoes will be available in retail stores Summer of 2007, with a children’s line available in stores in the Fall.

In addition to boasting satellite technology that would make James Bond proud, Compass™ shoes are impossibly stylish. But in the brand’s brief history, style was always a secondary consideration to their function – using GPS technology to save lives and enhance security. Accordingly, negotiations with military agencies are underway, with the intent of bringing GPS-based security in combat boots to members of the armed forces.

High Security Monitoring, 24/7
The Compass™ brand incorporates a GPS module allowing authorities to locate a missing or endangered loved one –within a yard’s distance -- almost immediately, using the patented Quantum Satellite Technology (QST) and a monitoring service called ID Conex. Unlike cell-phone based GPS tracking devices, the GPS technology utilized by Compass™ shoes locks out unauthorized users from knowing the location of a loved ones – information only trained ID Conex employees at one of their global monitoring stations are authorized to access and pass on to law enforcement agencies.

For a $20 monthly subscription fee, users have a 24/7 link to ID Conex -- and their loved one’s whereabouts. With the push of a “locate me” button on the side of the shoe, a 2x3” microcomputer embedded into the Compass ™ shoe uses a unique Covert Alarm Locator Apparatus to signal any of four satellites available above the horizon. Similarly, a call to ID Conex makes it possible to locate a missing child, senior citizen or other adult almost instantly using each sneaker’s unique number.

Cost Considerations
A FAQ page at the Isaac Daniel website suggests that info about a person’s whereabouts is treated by ID Conex as proprietary information, making it impractable for use in tracking a loved one’s whereabouts casually (say, as a jealous spouse might). In addition, if a child or other loved one presses the “locate me” button in a non-emergency to show off, or out of curiosity, the family could be billed for any emergency services incurred.

One other factor to consider is price: at proposed retail price of $325 per pair, and $20 for monthly monitoring, Compass™ GPS shoes may be ideal for families living in high-risk areas, or for families with seniors at risk for straying. “We have an amazing technology that can help many people who are now in need of security and safety, all around the world today,” says Isaac Daniel, in a video at Isaac Daniel

Better yet, the GPS module is transferable to other Compass™ shoes to accommodate for children’s inevitable growth spurts, or for families wanting an extra pair without incurring the cost of an additional GPS module. And while the price of these impressive GPS-enabled shoes is somewhat beyond that of lesser athletic shoes, the security and peace of mind gained may very well justify the cost.