Bluetooth tags have taken off recently, and the reasons are plain to see. Products like Duet and Tile are small enough to attach to virtually any of your valuables, and clever enough to tell your smartphone when they are being left behind. But a new IndieGoGo-funded product named GOkey is taking keyring technology up to the next level. While it provides a similar wireless location service, it is also a backup battery, a USB cable and a memory stick — it wants to be your all-in-one digital assistant.
Unsurprisingly, the GOkey is shaped roughly like an oversized standard key, but it is remarkably small considering the functionality that has been crammed in. If the GOkey were a real key, the part that would go into a lock is actually a miniUSB or Lightning connector (depending on which model you have), and inside the circular end is a rechargeable battery that can keep a phone powered for up to two extra hours. You can even shake it to check how much juice it has left to give.
The round part also contains a second miniUSB connector, which flips out to turn the whole device into a go-between charging cable, and somehow there is room for a memory stick, too. The first generation of GOkey will come in 8GB ($49), 16GB ($59), and 32GB ($69), each complete with 128-bit encryption and password protection.
Of course, the GOkey also works as a bluetooth tag, although not in the usual way. You need to realize that you’ve forgotten the GOkey and whatever it is attached to, before homing in via the app. Once you get fairly close, the GOkey makes a ringing sound. This system works in reverse, as well.
The GOkey is shaping up to be a remarkable product, and it won’t be long until it hits the shelves. While the first beta units will ship to IndieGoGo backers in October, everyone else can buy one from next January.