CES 2012: Bikn aims to be new lost-and-found for iPhone
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Are you the kind of person who loses your keys all the time but always seems to have your phone nearby?
Treehouse Labs has a leash for you. Its new lost-and-found system, Bikn (pronounced ‘beacon’), is basically two low-powered radios talking. One is on the case you put on your iPhone; the other is on the tags you attach to your stuff -- or your people. Then the Bikn app connects them.
Some folks consider the ubiquitous smartphone a kind of leash. Now you can actually ‘leash’ your favorite devices -- and your two- and four-legged family members who might wander off -- using the same device.
The kit performs two functions -- tracking and ‘leashing.’ You can set a perimeter of near, medium or far. When your tagged person or item moves out of the established perimeter, an alarm sounds.
The $99 kit comes with two tags and the case. Additional kits come in pairs of two tags for $49. You can ‘leash’ up to eight items.
Of course, you have to keep track of your iPhone -- but I suppose that’s what Find My Phone is for.
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-- Michelle Maltais in Las Vegas
