Seeing a gap in the market, a SMS service has launched that will let you know where spare stock of Microsoft's Xbox360 console is in time for Christmas.

This new monitoring service, based at www.xbox360locator.co.uk, is maintaining a constant watch over a growing number of leading websites and alerting signed up members by text message the moment stock is available.

A text message alert helps members keep ahead of the stampede, and hopefully secure one of the new consoles in time for Christmas.

The service will cost you £1.50 + network charge per text the site sends out and it will unfortunately only tracks online stores rather than the high street.

The Xbox360 was launched in the UK on Friday 2nd December and sold the initial allocation within hours.

Chances are, however, if you really must have one for under the tree this Christmas you will have to go out in the cold and manually hunt one down.

>> Microsoft - Official website of Microsoft