New mobile phone allows bosses to monitor staff movements and type of activity

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From BBC:

"Japanese phone giant KDDI Corporation has developed technology that tracks even the tiniest movement of the user and beams the information back to HQ.

It works by analysing the movement of accelerometers, found in many handsets. Activities such as walking, climbing stairs or even cleaning can be identified. "When applied to the issue of telemedicine, or other situations in which remotely monitoring or accessing an individual's personal movements is vital to that service. But there will surely be negative consequences when applied to employee tracking or salesforce optimisation."

For example, the KDDI mobile phone strapped to a cleaning worker's waist can tell the difference between actions performed such as scrubbing, sweeping, walking an even emptying a rubbish bin.

Truck drivers are regularly monitored through mobile phones in Japan, while salespeople have been regularly tracked by their employers using GPS since it was introduced to Japanese mobiles in 2002."

References:

Mobile that allows bosses to snoop on staff developed. BBC.

Note: Motorola Droid shown in the Amazon ad does not have the functions described in the post.