February 9th, 2006
Voice Vault: Voice- Activated Safe
By Alice Hill
RealTechNews
Sadly, this is billed as a toy, but is actually a very clever idea I hope will soon cross over not only from the UK where it is sold, but to the serious adult security market. Why bother with numerical codes and keys when you can simply use voice recognition to lock away your most private items? And I don’t have to say that many a gent will appreciate a truly private place for shall we say, racier DVDs and reading?
If you want to secure your stuff then enter your codeword into the Voice Vault! Protect your prized possessions with this toy vault that can only be unlocked by YOUR VOICE giving YOUR CODEWORD. Nobody gets into the voice vault - it’s totally OFF LIMITS. Record a codeword into your Voice Vaultâ„¢. It locks automatically when you close it. Only your voice opens the Voice Vault. £17.99 Source: Dark Planets
We Say: Great idea but what a nightmare product for parents. Now your teen can hide drugs, siblings can lock away each other’s toys and not give them back - in short, I see nothing but pandemonium. As an adult product however, the idea is fantastic. Adults could lock away firearms and be certain no child will get the code, protect valuables, and so on.
Alice says:
We had this up before Gizmodo!
February 9th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
slashdotcoma says:
I really doubt the security provided by an 18 pound security device!
February 9th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Lehk says:
Defeated by a simple cassette recorder with a microphone attachment.
i give it a 2/10 for the effort though
February 9th, 2006 at 7:02 pm
Robert says:
I regularly change the password on my girlfriends computer to keep her son from viewing porn. In her frustration, she readily gives the code to him. This is shit to any “modern parent”. Don’t have children if you need a device such as this.
February 9th, 2006 at 8:17 pm
Gizmowatch says:
Voice Vault
Now no more jangling with your keys and numerical codes, the Voice-Activated Safe, called Voice Vault™, is here to hide securely your Playboys, and CDs. The vault remembers your voice and the codeword and opens only when it recognizes both. More, it…
February 10th, 2006 at 4:32 am
Jimmy says:
It doesn’t say how big it is either, it may not even hold your playboy’s, hehe.
February 10th, 2006 at 6:40 am
Alice says:
Maybe one of our contributors can request a demo unit and do a test with their reaading material!
February 10th, 2006 at 9:09 am
fred says:
There have been simple voice activated “vaults” on the market since 2000 at least. Radica has/had a product line called girl tech that includes voice security at the same level (likely the exact same chip is on the inside).
oooh!! You’re quite a bit out there on the bleeding edge,,,, oh,,, wait,, no.
February 11th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Alice says:
Thanks Fred. I don’t remember calling this a bleeding edge product. It’s positioned as a toy, and I am sure many have been around as you said. I do think it has a lot of promise as a real adult application. If you come across more in this area, send us the info.
February 12th, 2006 at 8:18 am