Bluetooth Device Keeps Track of Your Phone and Other Valuables

The hipKey, a new Bluetooth device designed to keep track of your personal items, is now available in the U.S. Apple Online store. We first saw hipKey at the 2013 International CES and, while it's not the only Bluetooth tracking device out there, we were impressed with its design and function.
The hipKey is shaped like a tiny crescent moon, made of smooth aluminum that attaches to your bag or keys. Or, as some have pointed out, you can attach it to a child who has a tendency to wander, or perhaps a pet. We like the design because the function keys are hidden inside the crescent, making them difficult to press by accident.

By using low-energy Bluetooth 4.0, it has a range of about 50 meters, or 164 feet, and battery life is purportedly between three and four weeks. The battery can be recharged via micro-USB.

The hipKey app offers a little more functionality than other Bluetooth trackers we've seen, like the SticknFind. Like the others, it has an Alarm mode which warns you if your iPad or iPhone leaves your side. However, it also has a Safe Zone feature that lets you control and personalize locations. So if you're engrossed in texting on your phone and your iPad slowly leaves your side, the alarm will sound. But if you're home and your partner or kid grabs the iPad to look something up, it won't sound because that's been designated a safe zone.
The Find Me mode is helpful for those of you who constantly forget where you put things. Pushing the button triggers an alarm that sends you the location of your bag or iPad. The Motion mode alerts you if someone moves the item attached to the hipKey, helpful if you're not in a position to keep an eye on things.

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Lastly, the Child mode helps keep track of your kids in a crowded public place. Or if you want to cheat at Hide-and-Seek. You can set a perimeter that the kids are allowed to be in, but once they leave that area, the alarm sounds to warn you they're out of range. You can then use the Find Me feature to locate them.
I haven't used these tracking devices on kids but having seen enough toddlers walking around busy streets and malls with a real leash or tether tied around their waist that I think this might be a good option.
The hipKey first launched in European Apple Online Stores in December and quickly sold out. The U.S. version will cost $89.
Have you used a Bluetooth tracker to help locate kids or personal devices? Let us know in the comments.