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Jawbone Designer Debuts New August Smart Lock

Good product.
With time the price will go down as more hit the market.

Tell me though: If it isnt connected to internet how can you receive messages to who entered? Or do you get them when you are in bluetooth range again?

Guess it wont take long until someone finds a software flaw and can hack it.
 
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cmChimera said:
I'm enjoying the knee-jerk reactions from people who clearly didn't watch the video.

If you run out of battery, use your key.

You don't have to pull your iPhone out to unlock the door.

$199 is not expensive for the amount of convenience this provides.

You COULD unlock your door the old fashioned way, much like you could do the same for your car. Except we have all accepted keyless entry and remote start systems in cars, why not allow them for the house?


You could disable access for your phone using your computer, as shown in the video. Also you could wipe it with iCloud.
Click to expand...

No kidding, lot of people here thinking really hard why this is a bad idea. I'll never have to give someone a spare key again.
 
This would be cool if it was tied in with ADT or some security monitoring service.

This way every time the door unlocks (between hours you aren't home), you could also be notified with push notifications. You can also respond with "not authorized" and ADT calls the police.

All these gadgets are nice but I hate having a separate app for everything. I wish there was an iOS app that did smart house control that used api's for all these gadgets.
 
iJon said:
No kidding, lot of people here thinking really hard why this is a bad idea. I'll never have to give someone a spare key again.
Click to expand...

Heck, I've had apartments where I wasnt even given a spare key in the first place.
 
justperry said:
Ok, that's indeed easy, but I still think it is a gimmick, what is so hard about unlocking the old fashioned way?
Just my opinion though.
Click to expand...


All of these "forward" thinking people just crack me up. There's nothing gimmicky about it. If you watch the video you can see that there are plenty of real world uses for this product. If you use your imagination just a tiny bit you'd think of more.

Took me about two seconds to realize that I would have at least one great use for it. I often go on long bike rides. Every time I go I take my iPhone with me to track my ride via MapMyRide. I also throw my keys in my Camelbak so that I'll be able to get back into the house. With this device I wouldn't have to take my keys with me, and worry about losing them along the way. Also, I wouldn't have to fumble for them in the bottom of my Camelbak with my bike in my hand when I get home. Just walk up to the front door with my iPhone in my pack, and viola! The door is open for me.

What about a house cleaning service? You give access to them, but don't worry about giving them a key that they could make a copy of.

Lots of uses.

Remember when almost every car required a key stuck in the door to be opened? How often do you see that today?

This (and devices like Nest) are the beginning of home automation. Get used to it. In 10 years we'll all wonder how we got along without it. Personally, I would love to have much more home automation. I couple of months ago, while rushing out the door for work I accidentally left the refrigerator door partially open. After a few hours the fridge went into bypass to keep from burning it's own compressor out, and the temp inside was about 80 degrees when I got home. Every bit of the food in the fridge was ruined, and I had to toss it. Probably costs me $100. Sure would like a simple home automation device to tell me that the door was open.
 
  • This replaces the interior toggle of your existing deadbolt
  • You don't have to fumble with the app to unlock the door
  • You can manually unlock from inside still whether your are in a rush because of a fire or need to get outside to buy more AA's
  • Lockitron is probably better suited for apartment dwellers, August is probably better suited for condo dwellers
  • This isn't just about your own convenience, it's about the convenience of controlling access for friends, neighbors, the maid, AirBnb guests, etc.
  • You can always keep a spare mechanical key at a neighbor's, in your car, or under a secret brick
  • Carless urban dwellers such as myself would love something like this so we can leave home with no keys at all
  • If you are worried about someone stealing your phone and finding out where you live, you REALLY need to have a passcode, for so many other reasons, too
 
pubwvj said:
Too Much Technology.

This is one of those cases of applying too much complexity.
Click to expand...

How is it too complex? The homeowner or authorized guest touches the handle and the door opens. It's very simple. This type of technology has been available in cars for about 5 years. Frankly I wondered why it took so long to get to residential homes.
 
How do guests use the lock? I get homeowners would have an iphone, have the app, and it unlocks over bluetooth. But how does it work for people I invite? My parents don't have iphones, how do I know if my plumber has an iphone? Even if they have an iphone, do they have the app?

I guess the website was trying to keep things simple but I did not see a picture or part of the video that shows what the invite looks like on their end - only the invite process from the app.

And someone else mentioned it already - but if it works over bluetooth how are push notifications sent?

Third question - can you unlock it/lock it remotely? 2 scenarios - 1 - Someone arrives unexpectedly while I'm away. Instead of sending them an invite that they may or may not know how to use, etc, I can just unlock it myself. Scenario 2 - Can I check to see if it's locked while I'm away because I have OCD about whether I remembered or not.
 
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cheapskate here

and I love this. I didn't think the touch to unlock on my car would be as enjoyable as it is. It would be great to have the same ease at the front door.
but... I will wait for these to get much cheaper. and in a brass finish.
 
Kind of an interesting idea, but I'm not interested in buying into one of there smart lock devices until I can get one that has a manual lock (not just a handle) on the inside. I guess I'm in the minority but I have sidelights next to the door, and am concerned about someone shattering the windows, reaching inside, and unlocking it from the inside.

Lockitron just actuates the existing handle, so it doesn't work.
Kevo seems like a possibility, but without more into on the different configurations they'll offer nobody is sure. No a fan of Kwikset overall, though.
I like the design of the August lock the best so far, but if you can rotate the inside like a knob it's right out as well.
 
justperry said:
Ok, that's indeed easy, but I still think it is a gimmick, what is so hard about unlocking the old fashioned way?
Just my opinion though.
Click to expand...

Icaras said:
I work late night shifts and sometime when I get home and my porch lights aren't on, I have fumbled around with my keys and dropped them on occasion. With one of these products, you can simply walk towards the door and open it.

Also, what about coming home carrying a bunch of stuff like groceries? Or also for women who might have roomy purses who sometimes can't find their keys right away.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I've struggled to unlock my door many times while my hands were full. I could put down my ****, but I don't. I struggle. I would love to not have to do that, personally.

cmChimera said:
I'm enjoying the knee-jerk reactions from people who clearly didn't watch the video.

If you run out of battery, use your key.

You don't have to pull your iPhone out to unlock the door.

$199 is not expensive for the amount of convenience this provides.

You COULD unlock your door the old fashioned way, much like you could do the same for your car. Except we have all accepted keyless entry and remote start systems in cars, why not allow them for the house?


You could disable access for your phone using your computer, as shown in the video. Also you could wipe it with iCloud.
Click to expand...
At least someone gets it and watches the video, at least.
Personally, in terms of appearance, this is nicer than the Lockitron. The Kevo is quite nice and unassuming for sure, but you must replace your deadbolt. If I didn't want to do that then this one seems like a winner over Lockitron. I love the idea of Lockitron but the large plastic look wasn't something I was ever thrilled with.
 
jessica. said:
I've struggled to unlock my door many times while my hands were full. I could put down my ****, but I don't. I struggle. I would love to not have to do that, personally.
Click to expand...

I also said that where I am (Originally) from most people use the backdoor and many of them have two doors or more to open (Like my dad-3), expensive joke.

And, I said fair enough, I can see it would be nice to have, but again expensive, $40-$60 is more like it.:)
 
macs4nw said:
Nice lock, but for me, one of the nicest parts of throwing a party, is meeting your guests at the door when they first arrive..... :cool:
Click to expand...

Same here!

Still, look on the positive side. If you could integrate the app with Paypal or some other kind of e-payment service, imagine the opportunities later in the night. "Sorry, Toilet Door 1.0 requires a $0.99 payment to open."

Integrate with the gyroscope in order to detect how many drinks the user has had, and ramp up the toilet price accordingly.. Profit!
 
justperry said:
You can still unlock it on the outside, but they do not say if you can do so on the inside, I would say twist the knob.

------

I think it is kinda silly, gimmicky, most/many times you get out of your car, you have the keys in your hands, so:

Get out of your car.
Push button to lock car.
Put key in lock, twist, open.

Instead of.

Get out of your Car
Push button to lock car.
Put keys in pocket.
Get your iPhone out.
Unlock iPhone.
Swipe to unlock.
(Maybe input password).
Search App.
Tap on App.
Tap unlock.
Click to expand...

I has a keyfob for my car so I never have my car keys in my hand. But also not everyone gets to park so close to their front door that they keep their keys in their hand for the walk from the car to the front door.
 
whooleytoo said:
Same here!

Still, look on the positive side. If you could integrate the app with Paypal or some other kind of e-payment service, imagine the opportunities later in the night. "Sorry, Toilet Door 1.0 requires a $0.99 payment to open."

Integrate with the gyroscope in order to detect how many drinks the user has had, and ramp up the toilet price accordingly.. Profit!
Click to expand...

Spoken like a true businessman! Thanks for the good chuckle.....
 
:eek:WOW! they just took security (and technology) to the next level.
i'm totally impressed, what a great thing to have.
 
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