Gadgets secure the wallet, phone and home

Devices such as mobile phones and portable media players are very attractive to thieves. Thankfully technology can help prevent valuable gadgets falling into the wrong hands. Video streaming on the internet is also empowering home owners to keep an eye on the house while they are out.

One way to keep your wallet safe is ensuring that no-one else can get to the contents of it - that's the idea behind the iWallet. It has a hard case with a fingerprint reader which requires the rightful owner to swipe their finger before the wallet opens up.

Being Bluetooth-enabled also means it can be paired with a handset that alerts the user when the wallet is removed and the connection drops off. Bluetooth only has a limited range so an alarm is triggered when a mobile phone and the iWallet are separated by more than a few metres.

The inventor, Steven Cabouli, said he came up with the idea after falling victim to a pickpocket. "I was at a busy airport overseas, and someone stole my wallet. I felt so bad, my identity was stolen, everything," he said. "It occurred to me to come up with something hi-tech. I looked around, there was nothing out there. So I decided to create my own hi-tech wallet".

Nio is another security system that uses Bluetooth technology to keep valuables safe - software links electronic tags to mobile phones and PDAs. The tags are attached to personal belongings such as cameras, wallets and handbags.

"If somebody were to walk off with your laptop bag, your phone alarm would go off as soon as they got too far away from you. The briefcase would also be alarming at the same time, so the person would probably drop the bag and go off," said Jessica Williamson from the Nio creator TenBu Technologies.

News Source:- http://news.bbc.co.uk