Overview
As a paragliding pilot I fly with my 
SPOT messenger for safety all the time. The SPOT messenger is a GPS device that transmits its location via a satellite to a web service provided by the manufacturer SPOT LLC. The device allows you to send short messages to let folks know if your are ok, need help or if it’s an emergency. As the SPOT tag line says “Live to Tell About It”. It’s a device I never fly without.
Spot Locator allows you to view the locations and messages sent by the SPOT device directly on your Windows Phone through Spot shared pages. Spot shared pages is a service provided by SPOT LLC that allow users of the device to share their location information through a web page to anyone they wish. Pages can be shared publically or privately. Through this service, you can track the location of the device in near real-time.
The great thing is you don't need to own a Spot device to track its location. Spot Locator enables you to follow the progress of Spot users directly on a map and provides a richer user experience for Windows Phone users.
Using Spot Locator is simply a matter of providing an easy to remember name for the Spot user and the location ID which is the Spot shared page URL that you get from the owner of the device. Spot Locator also supports private pages where you need to enter a password provided by the user of the device to access the shared page. With the latest release of Windows Phone, you can simply cut and paste the link from the shared page or any other source when you create the user. You can edit or delete users simply by touching their name and holding your finger in place until the edit/delete menu appears. Once added, you can then track where the device is, assuming of course that it's turned on!
When viewing the locations on the map touching a pushpin marker will popup a box showing the location and message details for that user. Touching the popup box will make it disappear. 
The last known location of the user will be shown in green. Spot Locator is tightly integrated with the Map functionality of the Windows Phone so you can just click on directions to find the route to take you to where the person is located. You can adjust how many locations are shown by using the settings menu and whether you only want to view locations from just today, the last week, all that have been recorded or just select a specific date.
It has become very popular during paragliding competitions for pilots to carry SPOT devices and transmit their co-ordinates while flying. During a race, people on the ground with access to the internet can follow their favorites and see how they are doing using Spot Locator. 
More importantly for the pilot, the SPOT device also allows easy retrieval as when he/she lands, simply using the OK button will transmit a message stating where they need to be retrieved! Once on the ground the pilot can also use his phone and Spot Locator to see where his fellow competitors are in the race.
Of course Spot Locator can be used for tracking anyone or anything. Have fun and enjoy!
