Idea of the Day: a locator for your t.v. remote(s)

How often do you lose your television/tivo/dvr/stereo/* remote(s)?

In my house it only happens on two occasions:

A. Every ten minutes (hey, we have four kids you know).

B. Any time I want to watch tv (which is infrequent, fortunately).

But when it does happen, I always wonder why can’t tv/cable/consumer electronics companies simply build in a transceiver like the one that helps you find your cordless phone (by pressing a button on the docking station)?

Lost remote? No problem. Press the button on your tv and you will hear a beep coming from under the couch. Problem solved.

This technology has been around for how long now? It’s gotta be ten years. I would gladly pay an extra $50, maybe even $100 for this feature, even though it would probably only cost manufacturers about $2.

Oh, by the way the inspiration for this post came from my friend Adam over at Infegy. He lost his keys tonight. Bummer. I’d actually solve that problem by inserting GPS chips into key sets, then giving every car buyer their own distinct url to use for tracking their stolen vehicle or lost keys. I can see the Garmin and iPhone apps already.

Happy hunting!

*insert any other home electronics appliance that I may have forgotten here.

PS: there is a low-tech solution to this too, you know. In my case I could just ask my wife, who is actually a professional psychic, to locate the missing appliance. For those of you who aren’t married to her though (err…), I’ve got you covered.