No Mobile Left Behind

A tiny company started by a mom who’d had enough of lost cell phones has just launched “the world’s first wireless leash for mobile phones.” ZOMM (an acronym for Zachry, Olivia, and Madison’s Mom) is a bluetooth keychain that tethers to your mobile phone and goes into alarm mode (vibrate, sound, light) once you walk more than 30 feat away from your phone.

The ZOMM also includes a mic, so, should your phone be stuck at the bottom of your backpack, you can answer it on the run. Another feature is an alarm that you can activate if in a stressful situation. Keep the alarm button held for even longer and it will dial the local emergency number (eg: 911) in any part of the world.

ZOMM will be available in summer 2010 for a retail of $79.99.

Our short hands-on today certainly endeared the ZOMM to us as a useful gadget to keep us from leaving our cell phones in cabs, restaurants, and playgrounds. But after a bit more thought, it raises some questions beyond the basic function. For example, what if you actually want to be separated from your phone or your keys for a period of time? How effective is it at calling 911 and how easy would it be to call emergency services accidentally? So, we can’t recommend this gadget just yet. Maybe after a bit more review…

[ZOMM]