If you ride the Greenway SWLRT out to Hopkins, please keep an eye out for a black and yellow Otterbox case. Also on Blake, Vernon Avenue, Gleason, and Valley View Road out to Smetana Lane.

Obviously if you are one of the folks who call me, that won't work.

So I bought the FamilyMap service from ATT to track my lost iPhone down. It's only accurate to within 300-800 yards, but the phone is showing up somewhere in the vicinity of 73rd and Ohms Lane in Edina. Somebody must have picked it up, because this about a mile from anywhere I was riding when I dropped it. It hasn't been used, so I don't think it's "stolen." It sat all night in this rather industrial/business park area. Must be sitting in one of the businesses lost and found bins, right?

There is a post office within range, but a number of calls have come up empty. I have also checked with a number of other businesses within the range of possible locations turned up by FamilyMap, but so far no luck.

Anyone have any ideas on how to track this sucker down? I will pay a 200 dollar reward for its safe return.

Hmm. If someone picked it up you can only rely on their honesty. Maybe send a TXT with contact info and offer of a reward? I'm sure you can offer much less than 200 bones. (Beer and pizza might work.) Frustrating- if you find a phone it's so damn easy to track down its owner.

I'd first take Kn-Mpls' advice and send texts/calls/etc to the phone. Secondly, I would go down to that area and just go to a few of the businesses to ask about it.

IF that fails, what iPhone did you have? I'm about to get rid of my 3G and would consider selling it. And before you pay $200 for a reward, check if AT&T will give you an early upgrade with a re-up on your contract (sucks, but it's way better than buying a new phone at full price)

I have been doing that.

The whole thing is making me scratch my head. Perhaps the tracking service is less accurate than advertised, and it is sitting in the street on my route about a mile or so from there (where Valley View crosses 169 "around the horn.").

No one has been using it, and it hasn't moved in two days.

Is this the destination of the Hump Day Ride?

No. I am going to look for at 3:15 after I get off of work. I know it will probably be by myself on foot, just wondering if anyone riding home from out here would care to join the search, starting from the post office on the corner of Dewey Hill Road and E. Bush Lake road.

I just went kicking through the leaves by the side of Valley View where my route comes closest to where the phone is showing up. Still no dice.

I'd help ya, but I'm stuck at work. (If it makes you feel any better I'd rather be outside searching for your phone.)

What happens if the phone is turned off or the battery dies? Would the ATT family stalker service just show the last received location beacon from the phone?

That's exactly what happens. It only marks the location when you ping it. If it can't answer, it's not going to update.

There is a time-crunch here, unfortunately. Good luck finding it though!

Any updates on the phone's location?

The iPhone 3G's didn't have a GPS chip in them and derive their location from signal triangulation. The 3GS and the 4 have a true GPS chip in them. Apple's MobileMe service provides similar location services but I don't think it'd be any more accurate...

She's dead, Jim.

The battery died last thursday morning; still no activity on the phone through friday. Given the weather, even if I found it I don't think it would still work. The otterbox is water "resistant" not "proof."

Anyway I have replaced it with a 3GS, and I've put MobileMe on it.

ATT gave me an early upgrade discount.

Apple Care might be worth looking into.