21 May 2014

Kickstarter focus: the quick Phone Finder

The Phone Finder does just that, and with any lost smartphone, even one that is on silent mode, and will continue to do so in a no-fuss way for the next three years. Once the Phone Finder device is clicked within a 15 metre radius, the missing phone will ring, vibrate and flash even if it is on silent mode, so that the owner can find it. If the phone is out of range, the Phone Finder website will show where it is on a map.
 
Source: Kickstarter

Entrepreneur Gabsow Tom chose Bluetooth 2.1 as the underlying technology for a reason. He says on the Kickstarter page: "Bluetooth v2.1 is the only Bluetooth version to have both forward and backward compatibility, which allows Phone Finder to work on every Smartphone. It is not limited to an iOS or Android version. In comparison, Bluetooth v4.0* based products only support a very limited number of smartphone models."

Tom also promises that a Phone Finder used approximately five times a week should last up to three years. "We had to design it to consume energy only when pressed, and only for the necessary amount of time. This was a huge technical challenge...We manipulated Bluetooth to activate, transmit and communicate with the phone and then shut off automatically in order to drastically conserve energy. This way we guaranteed that if you own a Phone Finder you never have to think about charging it or maintaining it in any way," states Tom on the Kickstarter page.

A pledge of US$25 will provide the backer with a single Phone Finder and the choice of either a keychain, magnet or a sticker to use it with. The funding request expires on June 2. The associated video can be viewed here.

*A post about Tile, which uses Bluetooth 4 to locate objects, is here.