Hone: Hunt Your Missing Keys With Your iPhone

If you chronically find yourself about to head out the door only to discover you have no idea where your keys have gone, this Kickstarter is for you. Goeffrey Litwack, a Los Angeles-based designer, hopes to bring a product to the market that will allow any iPhone 4S or iPad 3 owner to find their missing keys with ease, using a Bluetooth keychain paired with a straightforward tracking app called Hone. Hone works primarily as a proximity scanner for your misplaced set of keys, triggering the 0.6 oz keychain to both light up and audibly vibrate once activated in the app. Users will be able to watch an on-screen proximity meter to determine whether or not they’re moving closer or farther away from their keys. The keychain utilizes Bluetooth 4.0 to tether to a nearby smartphone within 150 feet, which unfortunately prohibits the device from being compatible with any iPhones or iPads of the previous generation. Litwack claims that the internal battery will last for six months or longer, depending on your usage. The creators decided to make sure their product would be manufactured in the United States, even though it would be marginally more expensive than taking the production overseas, because  Litwack’s family has ties to American manufacturing, as far back as his grandfather who worked to become a factory foreman in Brooklyn. In addition to providing work for Americans, production within the US will inevitably lead to fewer complications when it comes time to ship the Hone device. One hundred and fifty backers who fork over $40 as the Kickstarter kicks off will get the Hone of their own at the discounted price. In total Litwack is looking to raise $46,000 with nearly a full month left to go. “Our funding point is set at break-even for our forward cost,” Litwack wrote. Check out the jump-cut filled pitch video below, featuring a full-fledged endorsement from Litwack’s sister, actress Kat Dennings, who also lent a directing hand to the project.

Litwack doesn’t exactly promise that you’ll never lose your keys again, but he definitely wants to improve your odds. Unless, of course, you lose both your keys and your phone. Then you’re screwed.