New Bluetooth-Powered Umbrella Is Truly Unforgettable
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Davek Accessories, Inc.(NEW YORK) — A Bluetooth-powered umbrella from a New York-based company may put an end to the one thing all umbrella users have in common: we lose them.
The Davek Alert Umbrella comes with a beacon chip embedded into its handle that serves as a “virtual leash” between you and your $125 umbrella. When you step more than 30 feet away from the umbrella, a message will pop up on your smartphone, telling you you’ve left your umbrella behind.
“We make umbrellas that are unusually strong and last a really, really long time,” said Dave Kahng, managing director and founder of the umbrella’s maker, Davek Accessories, Inc. “We think there’s a lot of people out there who will pay more for an umbrella that will last a number of years but the biggest concern when people spend up is that they’re going to lose it.”
“We’ve known that for years,” he said of his 10-year-old company that sells $49 to $99 lifetime guarantee umbrellas on its website and in stores like Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
Davek engineers first thought of using GPS technology in the umbrellas but switched their focus to new Bluetooth technology. The goal, according to Kahng, was to prevent losing your umbrella rather than simply being able to search for it after you’ve already lost it.
The umbrella, which is scheduled to go on sale in September, works with a free Smartphone app. Once you download the app, you hold your umbrella by your phone for 60 seconds to establish a connection.
The proximity chip in the umbrella’s handle is powered by a coin battery that can last for years, according to Kahng, and is available at hardware stores if it ever needs to be replaced. The motion detector also goes to sleep if no motion is detected after 12 hours in order to conserve the battery life.
“We needed it to be low maintenance and useful, so this technology was the perfect solution,” Kahng, who added his team has been developing the umbrella for the past year.
A Kickstarter campaign for the umbrella was launched earlier this month and has already raised over $25,000. Over the campaign’s next two weeks, Kahng says he and his team will be looking closely at the feedback and comments to continue to build a better product.
“There is no other platform where you can get real time suggestions,” Kahng said. “For us it’s a great form of customer feedback.”
The umbrella, so far, will be available in two colors, royal blue and black. Interested buyers can pre-order the umbrella at a discounted rate of $99 through their Kickstarter pledge until April 12th.
The Alert Umbrella also addresses another complaint about umbrellas, that they’re too heavy, by keeping the size, shape and quality for which all Davek umbrellas are known.
“You feel it the minute you pick it up, there’s a pleasant heft to it,” Kahng said of the umbrella’s design. “It’s like sitting in a chair that is handcrafted.”
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