How can I keep track of or otherwise know where a particular cell phone is without the carrier being aware?

I’ve heard of something called ‘pinging’ a cell phone to find its location, and I’ve heard it’s possible to keep track of most any phone in real-time if a person has the correct information of that particular cell phone.
It sounds to me like that peice of technology known as the ‘bumper-beeper’.
Does anybody know what I’m talking about here or know how I can do this?

I know if you are the subscriber to the phone service all you have to do is call the provider and they can tell you how.
Other than that you can try CNet Download.com and see what they have and you can check Lifehacker.com.

Tracking Mobile Phones Information In This Video

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