Bag-Claim.com, a company of RBD Consulting International, reportedly announced that it has introduced a brand new application, Bag-Claim, which connects a Bluetooth-enabled wireless speaker with an iPhone (News - Alert) and announces to the traveller’s iPhone that it is in close proximity and is approaching.
Officials at the company claimed that the Bluetooth enabled version 2.0 Advanced Audio Distribution Profile wireless miniature speaker must be attached to the baggage article and once it detects the traveller’s iPhone, it sends continuous alerts to the Smartphone until traveller turns off the app, presumably once the luggage has been collected.
“With a large percentage of people having iPhones and Bluetooth wireless speakers, this seemed like the perfect time to design and introduce something as useful and sensible as Bag-Claim,” said Robert B. Davidheiser Sr., founder of Bag-Claim.com.
Among smartphones, the iPhone is the most popular because it has captured nearly 50 percent of the U.S. and Canadian Smartphone market, and 33 percent of global Smartphone market.
And, among consumer electronic devices, smartphones are the gizmos that have a demand in the current down economy as evidenced by the following commentary: 1.21 billion mobile handsets, including 171 million smartphones, were sold in the year 2008 resulting in a 5.4 percent increase in sales over the previous year, and with other handset sales struggling to grow substantially, companies are ramping up their marketing strategy for selling smartphones. This, coupled with a reasonable consumer acceptance in Q408, bodes well for the future of smartphones. Additionally, consumers feel that they are getting a lot of devices and utilities rolled into one carry-anywhere- access-anything-use-anytime advantage.
Bag-Claim sources said the application is available for a cent under $5 and can be downloaded from the online Apple (News - Alert) store at its dedicated Web estate. Officials claim it is a significant differentiator for an experienced traveller who wants to exit a travel destination’s lounge in a hurry, but can often otherwise get bogged down trying to segregate similar looking suitcases and sometimes even loose the luggage altogether.
“We designed Bag-Claim to work in concert with a Bluetooth speaker to ensure that people were getting maximum bang for their buck,” said Davidheiser. “Bluetooth pieces are a wonderful purchase for nearly everyone with a cell phone.”
Bag-Claim says it has already tested and certified several Bluetooth V2.0 A2DP-enabled wireless miniature speakers for battery life in standby mode and range for first contact. Its findings are: LG HFB-500 Bluetooth Solar Car Kit, up to 1,100 hours standby and 50 feet range; Motorola EQ5, up to 700 hours standby and 75 feet range; Motorola T305, up to 336 hours standby and 40 feet; Jabra (News - Alert) SP700, up to 255 hours standby and 45 feet; Veritronix VX-818, up to 100 hours standby and 40 feet range.
“Whether travelling for business or personal reasons, you have enough to deal without having to worry about your bags,” said Davidheiser. “Bag-Claim will ensure that at least the checked baggage part of your trip will be a simple, no-hassle process.”
Bag-Claim says that development activity has already started on Bag-Claim II and Bag-Claim GPS, which will identify up to four different pieces of luggage at once, with different colors for each one, and the GPS version will pinpoint the luggage within one meter.
In terms of tracking devices, there are reports of real time location system tags used in hospitals to collect live data via RTLS to eventually be able to early detect a contagious disease such as influenza and thereby prevent it from infecting other patients and staff. Another RTLS system provides resource location accuracy within a six-inch radius, and is used to track inventory, staff, patients and visitors.
Follow ITEXPO (News - Alert) on Twitter: twitter.com/itexpoVivek Naik is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Vivek's articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by
Erin Harrison