Neat Gadgets: Where Are My Keys?by Emily Price | More from this Blogger 05 Aug 2006 06:20 AM I tend to misplace my car keys at least once a week. No matter how hard I try to keep track of my keys, or my purse for that matter it seems like I am always running around my house when its time to leave looking for a missing item. I came across two items on the web this week that are pretty nifty and will definitely help with that problem. This little device requires you to "tag" the items that you lose with an electronic transmitter. One the item is tagged however you can track it electronically using the device. The device will be able to locate your item as long as it is 600 feet away or less. It won't do much if your left an item in someone else's home, but as far as lost keys in your own home go it would be able to pick up on them pretty quickly. One thing that has me a little concerned about the product is that they suggest you use it on your children and pets. Somehow I imagine no child is going to want to wear an electronic tag so you can keep track of them. The device claims that you can set up a safety zone however for your children and if they stray from that zone it will set off a vibrating alarm. If you could get the kids to wear it, the loc8tor could be great for monitoring children playing outside while you are not in sight. This one has me a little more perplexed. This USB pendant claims to be able to locate any missing item if you simply upload a picture of it to the drive. Once you upload the picture the USB drive will direct you to you lost item. I understand how the loc8tor operates, this one has me confused and with an $85 price tag I think I'll let some other people try these out before I rush out to buy one. Learn more about Emily Price  Emily is a freelance writer and video editor in Raleigh NC. Relevantcomputers tags User Comments  L Robbins (18930) 05 Aug 2006 08:18 AMI think maybe the USB one is meant as a joke. The website presents it in pretty satirical terms, and the site to which the webpage links (which, admittedly, had to be translated from the Japanese, so it might have been unclear) says that the pendant can be used as a divining rod to find water and minerals. On a serious note, though, I keep waiting for someone to come out with a subscription service which operates via either satellite or phone signals. Items would be tagged and when they became lost, a person could either dial the item number on a phone or access them via the Internet and make the item start to ring. I tried to find one find all tool, and I can't reccommend it. It's unreliable and doesn't have a wide range or penetrate solid objects. So, it works as long as you're facing the object, it's not more than 20 feet away, and it's not behind or underneath anything. *Wry grin* Very effective.  Kay M. (300) 05 Aug 2006 09:25 AMThese items are very helpful. I bought a very similar gadget for my foster daughter for Christmas. She loses her keys a lot because her son Jaden loves to play with the keys and doesn't put them back in her purse. Now, she makes sure she has them before closing her front door or shutting her car. It seems we are always losing things and needing to track them down. My phone has a page locator button to track it down around the house. I wish my television remote did the same thing, oh and I wish it worked on my missing left shoe that my grandson keeps hiding. (grin) Ahhh! The joys of grandparenting.  Emily Price (4736) 05 Aug 2006 12:48 PMMy dog actually took my keys once and "buried them" under a pile of clothes in my closet. I didn't drive my car for a week. Community Tags gadgets, inventions, key finder, lost keys, organization, technology, USB drive, useful things, useful gadgets Discuss this article
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