Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) is extending a helping hand to its most absentminded users with portable sensors that alert you if you leave home without your keys, purse or whatever else you’ve attached to a Nokia Treasure Tag (h/t Kevin Tofel at GigaOm).
Treasure Tag sounds the alarm if you forget your keys
The technology is pretty straightforward — just look for the Treasure Tag sensor in your phone’s Bluetooth settings to pair it with the phone, then attach it to whatever you don’t want to leave behind. If the phone and the sensor get too far apart they both emit a loud noise (hopefully something customizable) – the one you’re carrying will alert you that you’ve left something behind and the other alarm helps you find whatever you’ve forgotten. And if you can’t find your phone but don’t have any plans to go out, you can always throw your keys out the window and wait for the alarm to go off.
If you lose the sensor, the Treasure Tag app can help you find it without the alarm by tagging its location in a map powered by HERE. Sensors turn on and off by holding down on the button for a few seconds, and the app is set up to manage up to four different tags with icons or pictures telling you which is which. While forgetful people might have trouble keeping their phones fully charged, the tags use standard coin cell batteries with a six-month lifespan. The Treasure Tag itself is the size of a matchbook, and it will be supported on any Nokia Lumia phones that have the Lumia Black update, as well as on iOS and Android.
Nokia still reinventing itself
With the recent sale of its devices and services to division to Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V) is still very much a company in transition. Most people expect the Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN) to be a key source of growth in the future, and licensing agreements with Microsoft and others for Nokia’s strong IP portfolio could be a steady source of cash for at least the next few years. Citi analyst Ehud Gelblum is optimistic about the company’s prospects and rates it a Buy.
The Treasure Tag may seem a little out of place for a company focusing on enterprise networking clients and IP licensing, but analysts have questioned the real value of Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) (BIT:NOK1V) (HEL:NOK1V)’s HERE unit, which handles navigation and location services, especially after the HERE app was removed from the Apple App Store. Hopefully the company will have more luck with Treasure Tags.
