Last week at IFA Berlin, tech giant Huawei launched a new GPS locator device to help consumers find lost keys, wallets and even pets. The device, which fits easily into the palm of your hand, will be sold in Australia, although availability and pricing details have yet to be released.
Huawei's announcement comes just weeks after Telstra launched its own range of locator devices. A sign, perhaps, that the Australian market for GPS trackers is about to hot up. While Telstra's devices will be sold only to Telstra postpaid mobile customers, Huawei's device should be available to all Australians.
The Huawei tracker will have connectivity via both the 2G and 4G LTE networks and have a battery life of around 15 days, although less if its connected via 2G. It will also have a standby life of 60 days and will be IP68 water and dust resistant, which means it should be able to survive submerged in 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes. Huawei will manufacture bike holders and dog collars to go with it.
At his keynote address at IFA Berlin at the end of August, Huawei CEO Richard Yu said that the device will be able to provide positioning for your valuables and pets within 5 metres and has been manufactured to support all commercial mobile bands around the world, which means you can take it with you overseas. The device can be located using a mobile app.
While we don't yet have pricing for Huawei's locator device, Telstra has indicated that its own 4G connected locator will be at the premium end of its locator product range, so it will be interesting to see if Huawei's own locator will fall into a similar price category.
Starting around the end of this year, Telstra will also be selling cheaper WiFi and Bluetooth connected locator devices, although again these will be available to Telstra postpaid mobile customers only.
Jacqui Dent travelled to IFA Berlin with travel and accommodation costs contributed by Huawei.
Jacqui Dent
Editorial Strategist
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