Global positioning tech watches out for loved ones.(Brief Article)

By the end of this year, Wherify Wireless Inc. hopes to market a playful-looking child's watch. Even though it tells time, its real purpose is provide the whereabouts of the wearer 24 hours a day by using global positioning satellite, or GPS, technology.

The first generation of the personal locator, which packs an impressive amount of technology into a three-ounce package, seems a tad out of proportion on a small child's wrist. It functions as pager, features a 911 button for emergencies, is cut-resistant and can be locked in place. In less than a minute, a parent can pinpoint the whereabouts of their child within a few feet by logging onto the web or calling a Wherify operator.

"It's a bit bulky. It's taken us three years to get it to where it is now," said Timothy Neher, president and founder of Redwood Shores-based Wherify. "You have basically a fully functioning cell phone …