Kensington Launches Wireless Lock For iPhones

Kensington, the inventor of the Kensington Security Slot for laptops, has launched physical security products for iPhones and iPads.

The BungeeAir product (read our First Look) provides a wireless tether between an iPhone 4, and a key fob, which alerts the user when the phone has been left behind or taken. Kensington has also launched a lockable casing for the iPad 2, which adds on a conventional Kensington slot, as well as a knob for the company’s newer ClickSafe system.

Risks of lost phones

The product is aimed at companies who might suffer data loss when phones go missing, and who could suffer penalties from the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO).

The product communicates with the fob using a non-standard radio link in the 2.4GHz band also used by Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The link is added to the iPhone in the form of a tamper-evident plastic casing, which also includes a 1,500 mAh battery that can extend the time between phone charges by about four hours.

“The biggest danger is not theft, but losing or forgetting the phone,” said Kensington’s business development director, Stephen Hoare. Data kept on phones is often overlooked, but is now a serious source of breaches, he said.

Kensington’s answer is a wireless tether that warns you – and locks your phone – when you and your phone part company.