We’ve seen dozens of mobile device accessories since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, but rarely are we excited when we see something new. The BungeeAir is different, though; one of those classic “why hasn’t someone thought of this before?” kinds of gadgets.
Designed for the iPhone 4/4S, the Kensington BungeeAir is the combination of three parts: an attachment for your phone, a keychain “fob” and an app. Once these three elements are connected and paired, the keychain will sound an alarm whenever your phone is farther than 10 or 20 metres away from the fob (depending on which mode you set it in). With it, you will know straight away if you’ve left your iPhone in a taxi, or whether someone has stolen your handbag with your phone still inside.
To sweeten the deal, Kensington has designed a battery case to go with the other parts of this kit, extending your phone’s battery life by an extra 4 hours of talk time. The phone attachment plugs in to the charging port of the iPhone, and allows for pass-through charging, so you can charge it and the phone simultaneously.
The BungeeAir is only available for iPhones now, and can work with the iPad, too, although the design won’t neatly accommodate the larger form factor of the tablet. Kensington is working on variations on this theme for Android devices, with plans to release future iterations of the BungeeAir later in the year.