Cobra Adds Radar Detectors, Bluetooth Tagging System

By Lisa Johnston -- TWICE, 1/24/2011

LAS VEGAS — Cobra Electronics went to International CES to unveil two lines of radar detectors and a Bluetooth-based tagging device, which is designed to help smartphone users prevent the loss of personal possessions such as keys or laptop bags.

These debuts were in addition to a crowd-sourced database enhancement to its iRadar smartphone app, also announced during the show.

The new radar detectors consist of five models across two product series. The three-SKU Formula S series and two-SKU Formula R series feature new detection circuitry, improved performance and range, enhanced falsesignal rejection, and a redesigned highgain radar/laser lens, Cobra said. Both lines will be available in March.

The Formula S series starts at $89.95 and includes the XRS 9370, XRS 9470 and XRS 9570. Features include 14- band detection, city/highway selector, auto mute, LaserEye 360 laser detection and voice alerts. The Formula R series, which starts at $159, includes the XRS 9670 and XRS 9770 with 15-band detection, Intellishield Tri-Level City mode, Smart Power, DigiView data display, and eightpoint compass.

The PhoneTag Bluetooth-tagging system is billed as a loss-prevention device that links an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android smartphone equipped with a Cobra app to a user’s personal possessions. Users attach the Bluetoothequipped PhoneTag device to an item, and when the tag is out of Bluetooth range, the user’s smartphone emits an alert.

If the alert goes unnoticed, the smartphone app uses cellular to transmit the last-known GPS location of the tag and when it was lost to a user-defined contact list through email, text message, or optionally to a linked Facebook or Twitter account, Cobra said.

Pricing and availability weren’t given.

In what the company expects to be a source of competition for the popular Trapster smartphone app, Cobra’s crowd-sourced database enhancement to its iRadar smartphone app lets iRadar users share among one another the locations where they have spotted radar and laser.

The iRadar app is a companion to the company’s iRadar dash-mounted radar detector. The user community will provide GPS-based, near-real-time updates of laser/radar locations, Cobra said. The crowd-source features will be released as an update in the spring.

Users will be able to use their smartphone to submit database updates, alerting other iRadar users of such things as hazardous roads, traffic congestion and temporary speed traps. Cobra said its iRadar app already contains tens of thousands of user-contributed radar/laser points. The app also features known speed and red-light camera locations.