March 2013 - techozee is tech blog

Thursday 28 March 2013

Bluetooth Device Keeps Track of Your Phone and Other Valuables

March 28, 2013 0
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.


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.

StickNFind Bluetooth Tracking System Shipping Next Week

March 28, 2013 0
StickNFind Bluetooth Tracking System Shipping Next Week

If you have been patiently waiting for the launch of the new StickNFind Bluetooth tracking system we featured on Geeky Gadgets back in December last year, and which was successfully funded via the indiegogo crowd funding website, raising $930,000 in less than six weeks.





You will be pleased to learn that the StickNFind Bluetooth tracking system is now ready to start shipping next week, ahead of its proposed shipping date. Watch the video after the jump to see StickNFind in action.
To re-cap the StickNFind Bluetooth tracking system uses Bluetooth stickers that can be attached to your personal belongings and the Stick-N-Find’s patent-pending algorithms will help you then locate it within two inches of its location, when lost or misplaced. Jimmy Buchheim, CEO of Stick-N-Find Technologies:

“We have been working day and night to make the SticknFind Stickers amazing. Our focus has been on reliability and easy of use. Our goal was the ability to pinpoint the sticker in a large house, without the necessity of the buzzer feature. Our radar resolution now is so high, the App will guide any user within inches from the sticker,”

“Furthermore we have been working very closely with our suppliers, we even produced our first 20,000 stickers in USA, to ensure that we shipped before our promised dates (originally March 31st).It was exciting for us to announce the shipped date for our contributors, but also the new feature-rich easy to use mobile application. New features on the App include the pinpoint location accuracy and extended range of up to 150 feet. We will continue to make improvements on the performance and form factor of StickNFind.”-”Extended range of up to 150 feet – Achieved with custom designed antenna and a proprietary mixed non-absorbant plastic casing, enabling expanded reach.”

For more information on the new StickNFind Bluetooth tracking system jump over to the StickNFind website for details.


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