No More Scrabbling For Your Keys

You might already know that Apple's been trying to extend its influence a little recently. Credit cards? Uh, no, how about Apple Pay instead! Now, there's something else about to land, a new device coming to Apple Stores and online stores this week, which takes aim at a different everyday interaction — opening your front door. It's renowned Swiss designer Yves Behar's August Smart Lock for iPhone, which converts locking and unlocking your door into a function of your phone. If that sounds exciting, it is! If it just makes you feel terrifyingly old, well, I can't say I disagree.

Although it'll take a hefty price to get one of these high-tech looking devices in front of your home — it'll cost you a whopping $249, which does sound like quite a lot if you've already got a perfectly capable, regular deadbolt. But according to TechCrunch, there are some customized options on offer for the August Smart Lock owner that do sound rather fun.

Described most simply, the August Smart Lock is a round casing which attaches to your existing deadbolt. It runs on a pair of batteries, and (if working perfectly) allows you to seamlessly unlock your door automatically as you approach and pass through it, using a Bluetooth connection to your iPhone.

Of course, there are some obvious concerns that come with setting up something so new for your home security. This is the sort of high-tech innovation that demands a pretty high record of error-free operation to actually, truly be an upgrade over what it aims to replace — nuts and bolts.

As Wired's Joe Brown detailed in his review of the August Smart Lock, having any doubt in your mind about whether it's actually as functional as an old-fashioned lock and key could sort of doom you to always carry your key anyways.

That's because the August Smart Lock still lets use your normal key as a failsafe, in the event that the app which connects to the lock isn't working properly for some reason. So your level of trust in going key-less does hinge entirely on the competent functioning of your iPhone. This does sound like a compelling drawback — if only because my phone is prone to running out of battery, thanks to my high-usage lifestyle.

All that said, I'd be hard-pressed to deny that I'd like to have one. It's an undeniably slick design, and if the technology proves stable enough to hold up on an everyday — and the price comes down a bit, perhaps — it'd be sorely tempting.

Image: August (3)