A stolen smartphone is relatively easy to locate if you remember to activate the right apps. Recover...

1. Bike+ App and Device Tracks Down Stolen Bikes
A stolen smartphone is relatively easy to locate if you
remember to activate the right apps. Recovering a stolen
bike, on the other hand, is more difficult. Bike+, a new
device with an accompanying app, is looking to put riders'
minds at ease by offering anti-theft measures, including
GPS and its own alarm system, that most bike locks don't
have.
"The alarm is a motion detector," said Kevin Fahrner, the
president of Wi-MM and a developer of Bike+. "When
activated by someone trying to steal the bike, it emits a
piercing alarm and sends a text message to the bike's
owner saying that the bike is being moved." In addition, if a
bike gets stolen while Bike+ is still attached, it will continue to broadcast its location, which can be
tracked through its app.
Fahrner knows that bike thieves are both resourceful and tenacious. "If they see some type of GPS
system on the bike, it's the first thing to be taken off," he said. In order to prevent the same fate for
the Bike+ devices, he designed Bike+ to be hidden beneath the bottle cage, as well as fastened into
place by its own set of screws.
It's not just the riders that benefit from Bike+'s GPS tracking ability. "Bike share programs can use
the GPS and manage their fleet of bikes," said Fahrner. "We're working with the B-Cycle and
interfacing directly with their software to keep track of rented bicycles." He said that the Bike+
device's security functions can last for a month on a single charge.
Bike Spike, a product similar to Bike+ in terms of both hardware and software, was funded on
Kickstarter earlier this year. Fahrner said that the success on Kickstarter and the interest in his own
product reflects something about the bike market.
"We are at the very beginning of an evolution, where this technology will be a standard offering in
most bikes," he said.
Fahrner said that Bike+ will be available at the end of the year for less than $200. The initial
purchase will include a year's worth of coverage, but renewing the service will cost $35 per year.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/bike-app-device-tracks-stolen-bikes/story?id=20521572