Have You Joined the Loser Club?

by Lori Cunningham      

Laurie Penix, Creator of ZOMM and Lori Cunningham, CES 2010

You may recall from my CES 2010:  Great Technology Products  for Moms article in January, that the ZOMM, was my #1 favorite product from CES (Consumer Electronics Show).  The Zomm was created by a mom, Laurie Penix, whose three children were constantly losing their cellphones.   ZOMM stands for Zac, Olivia and Madison’s Mom.  The ZOMM is a keychain you attach to your keys that connects wirelessly, through Bluetooth, to your cell phone.  Should you leave your house, a taxi cab, a restaurant, the gym, etc. without your phone, the ZOMM, will set off an alarm to alert you that you are leaving your phone behind.  I had the opportunity to talk with Laurie at CES  as a member of  the press.  To see Laurie’s personal explanation of the ZOMM (courtesy of my expert video filming skills) take a look:      

Why I’m a Part of the Loser Club

Now, you may be asking yourself, “why is she so obsessed with this ZOMM thing.”  Let me tell you.  I have “laid to rest” two of my cellphones in the past.  I literally laid them down somewhere and never found them again.  One time we were on vacation in Florida – I lost it somewhere between the car and the fast food restaurant we ate at.  The other lost phone I’ve already forgotten the details – I just remember losing it.  Both times I remember calling my cellphone regularly hoping whoever found it would answer it.  But my phone bill soon proved to me that my phone had found a new owner.  Bummer, another phone lost.  But you know?  I’m not alone.  When I wrote my review of the Motorola Cliq, I called Disneyland to find out how many phones they find a day at the park.  During their busiest times, they said they recover 30-50 phones a day!  So if you’re a cell phone loser too, don’t despair, the Loser Club is pretty big and growing everyday!       

Setting Up the ZOMM 

So you see, the idea of having a “wireless” leash on my phone is just what I needed.  To set up the ZOMM, you need to go to settings on your cell phone and enable Bluetooth.   Next, turn on the ZOMM and set up a Bluetooth relationship between your cellphone and the ZOMM.  After the devices have been paired, put the ZOMM on your keychain and you’re ready to go.  It’s very easy to set up.      

How the ZOMM Works    

The ZOMM sets off an alarm after you get within a certain distance away from your phone:     

20 feet – The ZOMM alarm will ring when you get beyond 20 feet away from your phone.  So if you leave your keys (with your ZOMM keychain) by your purse and take your phone to another area of your house, the ZOMM won’t ring until you get more than 20 feet away.   So you don’t always need to have your keys right next to your ZOMM.      

up to 30 feet – if you and your keys go beyond 20 feet away from your phone, the ZOMM will vibrate, flash it’s lights, and a fast beeping alarm will alert you.  This happened to me often as I left my phone in the car and walked my little girl to her classroom.  To turn off the alarm, I just pressed the Z  button on the ZOMM once. 

more than 30 feet– once you move beyond 30 feet a very noticeable fast paced alarm comes on to alert you.  Again, you can press the Z button on the ZOMM to turn off the alarm and run and get your phone if you forgot it!     

More Features 

Wireless Leash Speakerphone Personal Safety Device Courtesy of Zomm.com

You can tell a mom came up with the ZOMM because it is a multi-tasker.  Not only does it act as a wireless leash to keep your phone in check but it also offers these features:       

1. Speakerphone – the speakerphone feature is great in helping you to answer calls if your keys are easier to find in your purse than your phone
2. Panic button – pressing the Z button a long time acts as a panic alarm – with a loud siren.  If you’re in a crowded area, people will notice you
3. Calls Emergency– press the Z button long enough to hear the panic alarm then hold it even longer until the panic alarm stops, then let go.  This will call your local emergency services and play a pre-recorded emergency message asking them to send assistance to your mobile phone’s GPS location if you do not speak soon.  Pretty amazing, huh? And, there is no extra cost for this potentially life saving feature.  Companies for other devices (like GPS devices that locate children or the elderly) charge a monthly fee.

So you’re probably wondering, it’s been a month, did I lose my phone or at least have the “Out of Range” alarm come on?  The answer is no – except for when I was testing the range of the ZOMM.  Since I’m using HTC’s new Tilt2 phone for the next three months for AT&T and blogging about my experiences on their LosetheLaptop.com site, I wanted to ensure that I didn’t lose the phone.  The  ZOMM has helped keep the phone safe –although I did misplace my keys at Knott’s Berry Farm!  To read about that adventure, see my Losethelaptop post.  Ughh!        

ZOMM PROS        

• works just  like it says it does – the  ZOMM will not let you leave your cell phone behind without alerting you
• gives you peace of mind – you won’t forget your cell phone somewhere
• helps you answer your phone easily with the speakerphone feature
• gets you noticed in a panic situation with the panic button
• gives you an immediate way to call Emergency for help — without having to dial 911.  This is a fantastic feature and provides for increased peace of mind that help is only a button away
• There is NO EXTRA COST for the speakerphone, panic, or emergency rescue call! 
• has versatility – you can use the ZOMM with items other than a phone.  Use it to keep track of your laptop, netbook, iPad, iPod Touch, etc. — anything Bluetooth enabled     

ZOMM CONS       

•  you have to ensure the ZOMM is turned on everytime you leave the house or it won’t help you
• you need to remember to charge the ZOMM.  If you have a plug outlet near where you keep your keys, I recommend you keep your keys in your purse charge your ZOMM there.
• the alarm may go off frequently if you walk with your keys away from your phone often.  But again, you just need to press the Z button to silence it.

A Mom’s Perspective     

As moms, we have busy lives, over-stuffed schedules, and a taxi cab transporting service that would even make a New Yorker taxi driver shake his head.  With all the multi-tasking we do in our lives, it helps to have “someone” or something else watch over our phone for us.  The ZOMM gives me a lot of relief.       

In addition, I can see how the ZOMM might benefit teenagers as well.  I’m sure their loss ratio of cell phones is even higher than adults.  Attach the ZOMM to their keys or backpack.  This way you can help them keep track of their phone and provide a panic button for them to use too — just in case.  The more I think about it, the more I can see the benefits of using a ZOMM along with your child’s cell phone or even their iPod Touch.  If they leave it somewhere and their ZOMM alarm rings, they’ll be saved from losing their prized possession.  You will also be saved from worry and will not need to lecture them about losing their iPod Touch or cellphone.  It’s a win-win.        

The ZOMM is available right now on the ZOMM website.  The retail price is $79.99 and the ZOMM can be purchased in either black or white.   The ZOMM received the CES Innovation Award at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and is sure to be a big seller.  Announcements will be made soon about other locations to purchase the ZOMM. 

* Loser Club is a phrase I found on the ZOMM website.

WIN IT!!!

To celebrate the launch of the new ZOMM, we are giving away a ZOMM to one of our lucky readers!!!!

TO ENTER:

Follow These 3 Steps:

1. Become a fan of the ZOMM by clicking on “Like” on the ZOMM Facebook page.
2. Become a fan of the WellConnectedMom.com by clicking on “Like” on the Well Connected Mom Facebook page.
3. Leave a comment below to tell us that you now “Like” both Facebook pages.  If you are already a member of WellConnectedMom, thank you!  Just state it in your comment.  Feel free to share with us your lost cellphone story!

Contest ends on June 28th @ 10pm PST.  Contest open to all US residents.  Good luck and thanks for spreading the word!