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Four great ways to track Santa this Christmas
Tracking Santa's whereabouts can be a lot of fun for both parents and children. Luckily, each year technology brings more options to keep tabs on Ol' St Nick. Here are four ways to track him this Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve is full of suspense and mystery as children spend the day wondering when Santa will arrive at their home.
Luckily, for parents and children alike, there are plenty of ways to track Santa's progress. We list four methods for tracking the jolly red giant below.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)
For the last few years we've been able to track Santa on any mobile device capable of accessing Google Maps, either through a mobile browser or a native app.
To track Santa on your mobile device open up your Google Maps app, or navigate to m.google.com/maps. To find Santa, simply type Santa in the search bar.
You will then see Santa's current location on a map. To get his updated location, you only need to search again. You can begin watching Santa on Google Maps on Christmas Eve.
(Credit:
Visionbox, Inc. )
NORAD, which powers the Google Maps tracking of Santa, has released a free iOS and Android app this year to help you track Santa on Christmas Eve.
In addition to adding the capability to track Santa, there is also a countdown timer as well as a reindeer Christmas present game within the app.
You can download the iOS version from the App Store today, and the Android version from the Android Market.
Going beyond the app, the NORAD Santa Web site also allows you to track Santa via Google Earth, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. With NORAD Santa, there really isn't an excuse for not knowing where Santa is on Christmas Eve.
(Credit:
Fission Media Group Inc)
Santa GPS is an iOS app that allows you to track and send letters to Santa as well as get updates on activity at the North Pole. Not only can you count down to Christmas, but you can also create a countdown to the exact moment St. Nick will be arriving at your house.
The iPhone/iPod Touch version will run you $0.99 or the iPad version runs $1.99 in the App Store.
(Credit:
RD Productions)
Santa Tracker is similar to Santa GPS in that it allows you to create a countdown timer, track Santa, and send him a letter. There are also a few additional features the app brings to your iOS device. The additional features include a naughty or nice fingerprint scanner, and the capability to take a photo with Santa and help Rudolph get his nose ready for the long flight.
The iOS version will set you back $0.99 in the App Store. The Android version is listed at $1.99.
Not only is the Android version $1 more, you also can't take a picture with Santa, help Rudolph, or use the fingerprint scanner.
Using just one, or all of these methods to track Santa on Christmas Eve will surely be a hit with your children. Have a Merry Christmas, and make sure to get to bed before Santa arrives!
