hoyle executrices: BluTracker lets you locate your stuff within 2,500 feet, we go hands-on (video)

Friday, January 4, 2013

BluTracker lets you locate your stuff within 2,500 feet, we go hands-on (video)

Yesterday, we told you about StickNFind, a nifty electronic sticker that lets you locate anything you tack it to, and MeterPlug, the smartphone-compatible power monitor with cost estimates and realtime consumption readouts. Now, the folks that brought you those Bluetooth-enabled tools have a new connected toy to share. It's called BluTracker -- a "StickNFind on steroids," according to its creator. Both devices are tasked with sending location information to a smartphone app, but BluTracker adds GPS and a whole lot of power, offering a range of 2,500 feet or more outdoors, or a few hundred feet if you end up with some walls in between you and the compact rechargeable device. Inside the water-resistant housing, you'll find a Bluetooth module that "uses WiFi chips" to boost the range, along with GPS for providing realtime location information and a battery that can reportedly keep the device powered for at least two months.

This isn't a tracking device in the traditional sense -- while it provides location info, it doesn't retain coordinates, so you can't pop this on a vehicle to see where your kids really go after school. It will help you find your dog that's wandered a bit too far from the front yard, though, assuming he's still within a half mile or so (like walls, trees can get in the way of the signal, too). An onboard motion sensor can trigger an alert on your smartphone, letting you know that whatever you've tagged is on the move, so that bicycle thief won't get far before you're on the trail. We tested the device indoors -- located near a window, it picked up a GPS signal easily, and transmitted its location to a map within the iOS app even as we walked 100 or so feet away, past several walls. That figure may not be terribly impressive, but we didn't exactly push the BluTracker to its limits during a quick Manhattan office demo. The device just hit Indiegogo with a $69 "pre-order" price and an estimated April ship date, and it'll likely retail for just shy of $90. Check it out now in the video after the break, then hit up the source link to get your name on the list.

Gallery: BluTracker Bluetooth Tag hands-on