Bluetooth device and iOS app ensure you never lose your keys again

By Natt Garun Published June 22, 2012

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Are you a perpetual key loser? Hey, happens to the best of us. If you’re tired of walking around your home retracing the last steps of when you still had them in your hand, or ducking under your furnitures looking for them, Hone for iOS will make key scavenging much easier.

The Kickstarter project makes use of a Bluetooth 4.0 device that attaches to your keys, much like a car key remote. If you misplace the set, you can use the Hone iOS app and press Find to make the remote key glow and vibrate so you can listen out for the sounds. The app is capable of sensing the presence of your keys within 150 feet via a warmer or colder proximity identifier. For the vision-impaired, Hone can also speak to you if you are closer to finding where the keys actually are.

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If you’ve walked all over the house and still haven’t located the keys, then it’s safe to assume they may actually be gone (or in the car/someone else’s house). You can try going back to the places you’ve been the day before to use the app — if you’re lucky, they may still be around.

Thanks to the low energy required to power the Hone remote key, it contains a battery life of six months and weighs just 0.6 ounces, so it won’t be much heavier than your traditional car keys or keychain. The app will also be able to support multiple Hone remotes if you’re a truly forgetful person. At the moment, Hone is only compatible with the iPhone 4s and iPad 3, and developers say this is because Android phones do not have a standard interface for low energy Bluetooth baseband.

“Once Android supports BLE in the base OS, we are VERY interested in supporting Android phones,” the Kickstarter page says. Unfortunately, iPhone models prior the 4S also lack this Bluetooth 4.0 chip, making them incompatible as well. Developers are, however, working to make Hone compatible with the Pebble smartwatc h so you can be the ultimate Kickstarter gadgeteer.

The Kickstarter project is currently still accepting backers until July 17, with approximately $42,600 of the $46,000 goal pledged at the time of writing. If you are interested in buying one set of Hone, the minimum you’ll need to pledge is $50. Of course, while the device will make finding your keys easier, be sure not to lose your iPhone too or you’re really out of luck.

Watch the video promoting Hone below, directed by actress Kat Dennings (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist).

Topics

Mobile
Apple

Former Digital Trends Contributor

An avid gadgets and Internet culture enthusiast, Natt Garun spends her days bringing you the funniest, coolest, and strangest…

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