Smartphone gone walkabout? Fear not

Smartphones don't come cheap. And if you're prone to losing your phone on a regular basis, you might want to consider purchasing the latest new gadget which keeps tabs on your handset using Bluetooth.

The Cobra Tag. PRNewsFoto / Cobra Electronics

Smartphones don't come cheap. And if you're prone to losing your handset, you might want to consider purchasing the Cobra Tag device, a gadget that can track down your lost phone by using Bluetooth.

The tag, which costs Dhs220 (US$59.95) and measures 2.25 inches tall by 1 inch wide and is only 0.375 of an inch thick, can be attached to your keys, purse or any other item so you don't lose that too. It has a sensor that works in conjunction with the Cobra Tag app, which is available for free download for Android and BlackBerry users. (The app is not available for iPhones).

If you lose your phone, you can find it by holding down the finder button on the Cobra Tag, which causes the phone to beep and vibrate. The device, working in conjunction with the app, will also make a ringing noise to alert you if your phone moves out of a range of 30 feet from the tag. The tag displays prompts such as "very close," "close," and "far" to assist you in finding your lost device. The alerts also come in the form of emails, texts, tweets or Facebook updates. These alerts contain data about the GPS coordinates of your phone and even the altitude because the app logs this data on Google Maps.

And if you're worried about your smartphone's data being compromised in the event of it being lost or stolen, you can program the Cobra Tag app in the menu settings to protect the phone with a personal identification number and a personalised message when your smartphone goes walkabout.

In terms of the hardware of this gadget, it is compact, consisting of a single button, an LED indicator and a micro-USB charging port, making the price of Dhs220 seemingly quite steep.