Ember New Mug Is the Hottest Way to Track Your Thieving Co-Workers
The Travel Mug 2+ also shows when the container is empty and allows users to check the temperature. Photo: Kyle Barr/Gizmodo
Say you’re already late for work, and you grudgingly pour a cup of joe into your mug, but forget it on the kitchen counter. With Ember’s Travel Tug, your phone will be screaming at you to turn right now and grab the caffeine.
The folks at Ember showed me their technology during Pepcom’s CES showcase on Wednesday. The mug itself is equipped with technology specific to Apple devices and is the same type of technology found in Air Tags. The doll uses Apple’s Find My feature, which is meant to help people keep track of frequently lost items like their keys or their AirPods. This tracking feature has proven to have many uses beyond finding lost items. AirTag devices have also been used by stalkers to track people, often without the victim’s knowledge.
The folks at Ember indicated that their device still knew the location of a mug they left in their hotel room, even though we were half a mile away at another casino. The app provides the address and approximate location of the device. Company representatives also said that the Travel Tug 2+ features a speaker that can play a sound when you’re searching under the pillows for your lost mug. And now if you think your colleague is stealing your mug, you have a way to catch the thief in the act.
Apple Find My feature that shows the location and address of the person’s cup half a mile away. Photo: Kyle Barr/Gizmodo
Melanie Peralta, Ember’s director of PR, said their company has had a strong relationship with Apple for years. The company’s app has integrations with Apple’s Health app to help users determine how much caffeine they can consume.
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The device is an update of the 12-ounce Travel 2 mug and will retail for the same price of $199.95. The mug has a heater that is meant to keep liquids hot for three hours when not at the charging point. It also has a heads-up display that tells when the mug is empty or will allow users to adjust the heat. The new device has an estimated spring release date.
Despite the new features of the cup having obvious functionality for people who often forget their coffee at home, it introduces the potential for abuse. Since AirTag’s launch, Apple has routinely issued firmware updates aimed at stopping people from being tracked using its location technology. Although many of these updates are to the AirTag technology itself, the company has created several features on the app side to give users notification if there is an unwanted AirTag on their person. Apple has also created an app for Android devices that will notify if there is a tracker on their person.
A mug is a little harder to slip on someone’s person without their knowledge, but it’s good for everyone to be aware that this kind of thing is out there.
