Keychain Device to Track Phone?

December 11, 2010 2:01 PM

ChristmasGiftFilter: Looking for some sort of keychain-sized device that will beep when the user's cellphone gets too far away.

So I'm looking for a specific Christmas gift, basically the person wants a keychain-size or similar device that will make some sort of noise when it gets too far away from the person's cellphone (an iPhone, if it matters). I've seen the Bluetooth Bracelet from ThinkGeek, but I'd prefer something a little less...flashy, I guess. More like something that would stay in a purse or bag and make noise if the phone gets left behind.

Bluetooth or RFID would be fine; RFID might be kind of cool for the ability to track more than one item but I know Bluetooth might be a bit cheaper or easier to find.

Thanks for any help you guys can provide!

posted by DMan to technology (8 answers total)

This little thingie is at Staples is for keys but may work with a little ingenuity.
posted by ~Sushma~ at 2:06 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Thanks Sushma, the only problem with that product is that it's passive rather than active--It looks like you press the button when you want to locate the device. I'm looking for something that's more active and will let me know when the phone gets too far away.
posted by DMan at 2:07 PM on December 11, 2010

The PhoneHalo Protect Tracker seems to fit the bill. Available from Amazon.
posted by essexjan at 2:09 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

That looks perfect, essexjan, thanks!
posted by DMan at 3:07 PM on December 11, 2010

...Although, on further review, it's not available on the iPhone :( It has said "coming soon" since at least March. Not a good sign, I'd say. A shame too, it looked really cool.
posted by DMan at 3:24 PM on December 11, 2010

This looks like it might work; it was linked on the Amazon page for the phone halo and claims to work with any Bluetooth phone.
posted by TedW at 6:53 PM on December 11, 2010

Maybe check this out?
posted by torticat at 8:32 PM on December 13, 2010

Yeah, I saw the ZOMM thing, but the downside is that according to the reviews, it won't work if you have a Bluetooth headset. That's something I hadn't really considered being a problem and it's sort of a dealbreaker for the device.

It's a shame there isn't some sort of RFID sticker and an associated reader to keep track of it. Seems like that would be useful for more than just cell phones. Guess the technology just isn't quite there yet.
posted by DMan at 11:11 AM on December 15, 2010