US accessories company Kensington has introduced a "proximity monitoring system" that uses a Bluetooth-enabled fob and tag to keep track of valuables like your smartphone, keys, and other items.
Initially available for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, the Kensington Proximo consists of a fob that attaches to your keys, a small tag that can be placed anywhere and a Proximo iOS app that is installed on your iPhone.
Kensington used the example of leaving a tag in your car to find it when going shopping but a Proximo tag can be placed anywhere. It's small enough to easily fit into a handbag or bag but perhaps a little chunky to effectively fit in a mens wallet or a small female purse.
Both the fob and tag run on a single CR2032 Lithium coin battery and Kensington says the batteries will last for up to six months before needing to be replaced. Additional tags are sold separately for $29.95 each in Australia.
The Proximo iOS app can track up to five items. It allows users to customise the range at which the alarm will sound when you stray too far from your devices. Users can also edit the audio alert and pick a name for any devices they've assigned tags to.
A 'last seen' menu within the Proximo app also offers a pin-drop location on a map to find items. This records a GPS location whenever a tag or fob goes out of Bluetooth range.
The included key fob has a one-touch alert button that will immediately sound an alarm on your phone, while the key fob itself can be tracked through the app. This is a very handy way to keep track of your keys if you regularly misplace or lose them (guilty as charged).
The Proximo fob and tags connect to an iPhone using Bluetooth 4.0, which is why the product is only compatible with the iPhone 4S running iOS 5 or later, and the iPhone 5 running iOS 6 or later. Kensington says it will eventually support a range of Android phones "soon" but hasn't specified an exact time frame.
At $59.95 for the Proximo Starter Kit (iOS app, fob and tag) and $29.95 for each extra tag, the Kensington Proximo system is a little pricey but if you regularly lose valuables it's definitely worth a look.
