The next evolution of luggage tags has arrived with Bag-Claim™, a new application for checked baggage that connects a Bluetooth enabled wireless speaker with an iPhone to let a traveler know when their bag is approaching. Bag-Claim is now available through the Apple store or at bag-claim.com for $4.99.
For too long, travelers have crammed together anxiously by the baggage carousel or hall trying to get a glimpse of any identifying marks on an endless stream of similar looking suitcases. Luggage tags and color-coded locators have helped to a certain extent, but they still don’t externally confirm ownership, and they certainly don’t help give any active arrival information or any in-range awareness.
The new Bag-Claim application is here to change all that. The first app of its kind for the iPhone works like a sonar or radar system, letting the user know when their bag is as far away as 75 feet*, and constantly updating with a visual and/or vibrating alert until the person has it in their hands. The app costs $4.99.
Robert B. Davidheiser Sr., founder of Bag-Claim, said, “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.”
Simply, a user needs an iPhone that can correspond with a wireless receiver that is Bluetooth enabled. For those who don’t have a wireless mini speaker, the advantage of purchasing one is significantly greater than just Bag-Claim. A user can take and receive calls hands-free in a vehicle anywhere and play A2DP stereo music remotely without wires. Some speakers will even run on standby mode for more than 1,000 hours of battery life.
Davidheiser said, “We designed Bag-Claim to work in concert with a Bluetooth speaker to ensure that people were getting maximum bang for their buck. Bluetooth pieces are a wonderful purchase for nearly everyone with a cell phone.”
Bag-Claim works with any Bluetooth V2.0 (A2DP) mini-speaker device. Prices for these can range from $25 to $110, with many having hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of battery life on standby mode.
Bag-Claim has tested several random units. Tests were done for required functionality with no implied recommendation, preference or prioritization.
LG HFB-500 Bluetooth Solar Car Kit – up to 1100 Hours Standby (Will signal iPhone from 50 feet away)
Motorola EQ5 – up to 700 Hours Standby (75′)
Motorola T305 – up to 336 Hours Standby (40′)
Jabra SP700 – up to 255 Hours Standby (45′)
Veritronix VX-818 – up to 100 Hours Standby (40′)
The anticipated interest is so large that RBD Consulting, the parent company of Bag-Claim, has already started development 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.
Bag-Claim is now available for purchase at the online Apple store apple.com and at bag-claim.com for $4.99.
Davidheiser said, “Whether travelling for business or personal reasons, you have enough to deal without having to worry about your bags. Bag-Claim will ensure that at least the checked baggage part of your trip will be a simple, no-hassle process.”
*With Motorola EQ5
About Bag-Claim™
Under the umbrella of RBD Consulting (http://rbdconsult.com), Bag-Claim is the logical evolution of luggage tags. Bag-Claim is a new application for the iPhone that gives users an announcement when their checked baggage is arriving through a series of visual and vibrating alerts. A user simply puts a wireless Bluetooth speaker that is paired and active in the suitcase, which then automatically connects with the iPhone when in range. For more information, visit www.bag-claim.com.
