Bluesmart One - Smart Luggage: GPS, Remote Locking, Battery Charger (International Carry-on Size, TSA-Approved)

Not too long ago, I came across the Bluesmart, a travel-sized suitcase that connects to your smartphone. It alerts you when you get too far away from your suitcase with a nice little “You left me behind :(” message and also let’s you know where it’s last location was. Besides alerting you to its location, Bluesmart also houses a 10,000 mAh battery so that you can recharge your devices from it while you are traveling. It is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. While the suitcase itself weighs a little over 9 pounds, it can accommodate clothes, shoes, and even up to a 15″ laptop in its main compartment. Measuring in at 22″ x 14″ x 9″, Bluesmart meets the standard of a carry-on suitcase for most airlines. The case itself is hard shell (polycarbonate) and has rotating wheels for easy transport. Even without the ‘brains’ of this smart device, it’s still a very nice suitcase.Why do you need a ‘smart’ suitcase?Now, being that I’m a technology reviewer with a particular interest in connected devices, my interest with piqued when I learned about Bluesmart. But, why would you ever need something like this? Well, let me tell you a quick story. Several years ago, Robyn was traveling for work from Orlando back to Indiana. The connecting flight was going through Atlanta. Unfortunately, the flight from Orlando experienced a landing delay due to a storm. Because of this, Robyn missed her connecting flight and the next one back to Indiana was not until the following morning. As a result, she ended up spending the night in the Atlanta airport. Sleep was somewhat elusive for her that night and by the time the airport was starting to populate with travelers the next morning, she was falling asleep at the gate for her next flight. This is where the Bluesmart comes in handy. If Robyn had a Bluesmart suitcase that morning, she would been able to snooze safely while she waited for her flight knowing that her belongings were protected. If someone tried to snatch ‘n grab, her phone would have alerted her to the suitcase being separated from her. This type of situation is why Bluesmart is a great idea.Non-Traditional TestingIn January, I traveled to Las Vegas for CES. It would have been the perfect time for me to test a connected smart suitcase since I was flying there, but unfortunately things did not go as planned and I went on my trip with the old-fashioned dumb luggage. As luck would have it, Bluesmart arrived about a week after my return and I’ve not had the pleasure of an air-bound trip since that time. With that said, I decided the best way to test it out would be to pretend like I was living out of Bluesmart like I would if I were out of town. I don’t typically unpack like some people do. I’m just overly concerned about leaving belongings behind. So, I live out of my suitcase. Over the past week, I’ve been living out of Bluesmart. I loaded it up with what I would normally take on a trip and using it at home the same way I would while on the go. In addition to storing personal items inside the suitcase, we also tested out the battery by charging our devices from it almost exclusively.During my time testing, the suitcase did not stay stationary by any means. I packed it up with the same amount of belongings I would normally put in a carry-on sized suitcase. Once it was all packed up, I tested out the built-in scale (you need to calibrate it while its empty) against a hand-held luggage scale that I also have. I was surprised to find that the reading was nearly identical. I took it with me in the car as if I was going from place to place so I could get some real-world testing on it. I found that it was easy to pack and find items in and it transported very well. The wheels glide over most surfaces with ease. They pivot very, very well and I didn’t have any problem with it tipping over while wheeling it around. I even took the suitcase to our local airport to test it out in that environment. It passed all the basic tests with flying colors. It has ample room for clothes, toiletries, and other personal items and I was notified immediately when I walked about 4 feet away from the bag. Bluesmart was doing its job flawlessly.Meeting the TSAWhile I was testing Bluesmart, I thought it would be a good idea to make an appointment with the TSA. After a few weird phone calls to our airport, I finally spoke with the airport administrator. Not really knowing what I wanted to say to him, I winged it and probably sounded like a nutcase seeing what I could get away with rather than a technology reviewer. After the first successful contact with the airport administrator, I decided to try again in a few days to make sure the guy really knew I was for real and not trying to gain info just to cause mass hysteria. This time I was a bit more prepared and had a better explanation to my story. I explained to the gentleman that I was sorry if I sounded crazy the first time and I was just excited to test the suitcase. He laughed and we had a better conversation then the first time. He explained that being in charge of the airport, he had no problem with my plans, but the TSA was not under his control and for me to have them look at the suitcase and give me their thoughts, I would have to reach out to the supervisor of that group. Needless to say, I never heard back from that gentleman and so I decided to make my own appointment by just showing up and seeing what would happen.I learned that walking into the TSA line when the gate is closed will cause a red light and siren to go off. It wasn’t loud, but it did bring the agents to the area, which was great since I needed them pretty quickly. One younger gentleman did not look happy at all and to be honest, I think he wanted to make a scene, but there was an older gentleman who was calm and decided to hear me out before deciding if I should be arrested. When I explained what I was trying to do – that I was reviewing a suitcase and just wanted their thoughts on a smart suitcase with a USB port, internal battery, sensors, and wires – he sort of chuckled and had no problems giving me what I wanted as long as he wasn’t in any of the photos.Yes! A win! I thought to myself as the younger guy stared with hate in his eyes. Robyn and I spoke with him for about 20 mintes or so and discussed how the TSA would handle something like this. He pointed out the sign on the case that says it was TSA approved and said becuse of that I shouldn’t have many issues, but because of the battery and extra wiring, it would probably be scanned and until smart luggage becomes more common and used by more people, I might get a few extra looks depending on who’s watching the scanners. He went on to say people have backpacks that charge device, which I’m quite familiar with as I own a few. But, because of that comment, it made me feel that the TSA was not as stupid as I thought they would be about connected smart devices. This allowed me to rest more assured that taking a trip with the Bluesmart would not be a direct ticket to the broom closet and a handsy TSA agent who enjoys body cavity searches.The AppThe mobile app for iOS is pretty easy to use. Once you get through the pairing process, there is really our four main activities – Lock, Battery level, Weight (scale), and Location. You can also input your travel plans and have that information readily available through the Bluesmart app. I really appreciated how cleanly the app was laid out and the easy to understand interface. There wasn’t a whole lot of ‘fluff’ involved. The app is compatible with the Apple Watch and sends you a notification if you get separated from your bag.ConclusionsBluesmart is the first in its category, so you might expect to run into some sideways glances when traveling with it, but rest assured that it’s safe and it will keep your belongings secured. One thought I had while reviewing this travel-sized suitcase was, “Why aren’t they creating this in a full size bag?” The truth is, they might be. I’m really not sure, but in my opinion, the reason they went with the carry-on first was because if you’re going from point A to point B, your full size suitcase is checked and you don’t have to keep track of it after that point. Your carry-on is your responsibility the entire time you travel. That being said, it would be really great to see some sort of GPS tracking outfitted for full sized suitcases so that you can work with airlines if your suitcase gets lost along the way.We actually did run into some issues with connection while we were testing the bag, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade us from using it in the long-term.The day we visited the airport, Bluesmart was working famously, but the next day, I charged it up full and then the bag wouldn’t connect to my phone. I tried doing the reset steps suggested by the Help center, but to no avail. Eventually, I toggled the Bluetooth on/off on my phone several times and it finally re-connected. This could be a little bit of an annoyance if you are traveling and you can’t get your bag open from the automatic lock, but Bluesmart does include old-fashioned keys, which I would recommend that you carry with you.Because of our experience at home and our discussion with the TSA, this will be a permanent fixture whenever we take trips from now on. I’m really looking forward to my next conference because I believe this will really help as I’m traveling. The only critique I have is that because of the battery it takes up a little extra space that could be used for clothes.

Update: I wanted to share that the company has been in touch since I wrote this review. They've done everything they can to make it right even offering me a full refund. More importantly they have been genuinely interested in my feedback and it seems they've taken a lot of my ideas to heart for version 2.0. I look forward to seeing that one day.I really wanted to like this, but it falls incredibly short in every way. TL;DR To sum it up, you're trading an entire side of your carry on luggage for a useless front pocket that is a waste of space and can barely fit a half-inch thick laptop (Surface Pro 3 for example), but you get battery which you won't use to charge anything in-flight, and a useless app with features that serve absolutely no benefit or value proposition other than the ability to strike up a conversation with people in the airport or impress your friends by remotely locking and unlocking your bag.Long Review:- It's a few inches smaller than it needs to be for the maximum size on American Airlines Flights, what a waste.- The plastic material on the outside of the case is cheap, and flexible. It will take dings and paint scratches very easily, would have been better if it was textured and rigid.- The space is poor at best. you're only going to get to use one side of the suitcase, the other side houses the space for the external pocket. On the side where you can put in things, it is the same side that has the recessed rails for the retractable hand rail on the inside. So you're already at a disadvantage from a space perspective as you can only roll up items and stick them in the nooks and crannies. If you put even one pair of shoes, you're literally cutting your packing space in half. Don't expect to get more than 2 days out of this case if you typically pack shoes and or jeans or street clothes for the evenings when you travel.- The front pocket thing is small and tight. For all the space you give up losing one entire side of your suitcase, it barely fits a Surface Pro 3 (less than half an inch thick) in its pocket. If anything bulges in it at all, you won't be able to close it and lock it.- 0% chance you're going to take this down from overhead mid-flight and start charging your devices from the battery, unless the seat next to you is available to put it in...so the only real value would be when you're sitting in the airport somewhere. You know, where there are already plugs...- The app is useless. This is a small, small carry on - why would I possibly need to weigh it? They do not weigh carry on luggage ever.- The lock/unlock function is a silly version of a combination lock. It might be a cool gadget to impress your friends once, but otherwise serves no useful benefit.- GPS Tracker? Really? This is a CARRY-ON. So unless someone steals it, you're not going to be checking it anyway. What use is that?- IN order to use the App you *MUST* register on their site. Why do you need my personal information so that I can unlock my bag?- The charging batter is nothing all that special. Most of us are travelling with a battery backup in our briefcases/attache/backpacks so this is redundant.The purpose of this bag isn't well thought out at all. It's kind of all over the place with gadgetry they've just thrown in because they can, but serves no useful purpose. Is it supposed to replace your carry on entirely with the silly front pocket? If so, there's not enough space in it, and if you travel for business you're likely to have another carry on/laptop bag anyway for your laptop, documents etc...And if you don't travel for business, why would you spend $400 on a carry on suit case when you can buy a 10,000 mAh battery for a fraction of the price and put it in your carry on. IF you're any kind of serious traveler, this bag will only frustrate and annoy you. Poor space, bad design, cheap feeling materials and a useless app make this overpriced hunk of junk asinine.Again I really wanted to like this, but I can't find one positive thing to say about it.

Excelente producto, novedoso por sus funciones, cerrado y/o apertura a distancia. Y localización al instante a través de tu Smartphon.

Mucha tecnología concentrada pero poca capacidad. Maletas mucho más económicas dan mejores prestaciones. Y la app falla bastantes veces, mejor llevar la llave a mano por si las moscas

Valigia fantastica, l'unica cosa è che la puoivtracciare solo quando è collegata al bluetooth del telefono.... Per questo non ho messo 5 stelle... Che senso ha dover essere nel raggio di 5 metri dalla valigia per sapere dov'è!!!!

Très satisfaite. Produit de qualité ! Au debout pas très simple à comprendre son fonctionnement. Une fois l'application télécharger et connectée, ça marche hyper bien. En plus elle a un look super chic !

Lieferung mit Amazon war wie immer schnell und problemlos.Aus dem Karton geholt ist der Bluesmart nochmal in eine große Tasche aus einer Art leichten Stoff gepackt. Kann man vielleicht als Wäschesack während der Reise hernehmen, aber hätte es nicht unbedingt gebraucht.Design: Habe den Bluesmart das erste Mal bei einem Kollegen aus den USA gesehen und das Design gleich gemocht. Der moderne schwarze Look, mit den blauen Akzenten und den Rollen durch die man durchsehen kann. Find ich genial! Ist der einzige Koffer den ich bisher gefunden habe der sich wirklich etwas von der Masse abhebt.Mein wichtigstes Auswahlkriterium war das Frontfach über das man während der Reise immer Zugriff auf seinen Laptop hat. Bin ein großer Fan von Samsonite Cosmolite (habe den großen) aber als Handgepäck kommt der kleine ohne Fronttasche für mich nicht in Frage.Der blaue Stoff auf der kleineren Innenseite gefällt mir auch sehr gut, der graue Stoff auf der größeren Innenfläche ist hingegen nicht so spannend. Für den Preis hätten die Designer da was besseres finden können...Packen: Meine typischen Dienstreisen sind 2 Tage, eine oder maximal 2 Übernachtungen. Dafür eignet sich der Koffer gut. Packe normalerweise neben den Wechselklamotten auch immer Turnschuhe & Joggingzeug, Kulturbeutel, ein paar Firmenkataloge und Handmuster. Das passt ohne Probleme und obwohl der Platz innen nicht sonderlich groß wirkt, reicht es für meine Zwecke.Das 15" Macbook Pro passt gerade noch so in die Fronttasche (könnte noch länger sein, aber nicht mehr viel breiter), mein Kindle, Pass, Geldbeutel und ganz unten ein paar Kabel passen auch noch gut rein.Smartfunktionen: Nach der ersten Verbindung zu meinem iPhone 5S will die App ein Firmware update machen. Ich habe das zum Glück abends angefangen, denn hier muss man wirklich gewarnt sein! Das Firmware auf den Koffer zu spielen dauert fast drei Stunden! Das sollte man wirklich nur nachts machen, wenn man Koffer und Handy für nichts anderes mehr braucht.Am nächsten Morgen funktionniert aber alles prima. Die App ist sehr schlicht gehalten, auf der Hauptseite kann man das Kofferschloss kontrollieren, außerdem den Standort Tracker und die Waage anschalten. Die Waage variiert ein wenig, je nachdem wie schräg man den Griff hält, aber wenn man den Kniff raus hat, stimmt das Ergebnis recht genau mit dem der Personenwaage überein.Location tracking hat erstaunlich gut funktioniert. Wenn der Koffer neben dem Handy ist, scheint er einfach den Standort des Handys anzuzeigen. Hat der Koffer keine Bluetooth Verbindung mehr (ca 10m vom Handy entfernt) gibt einem die App die Möglichkeit den GPS Standort abzufragen. Das hat bei mir recht lange gedauert (ca 3min) aber dar Standort war richtig angezeigt, selbst im Inneren eines großen Gebäudes. (Vermute der Koffer macht eine Kombination aus Handynetz Ortung und GPS, je nachdem welches Signal besser ist...)In einem Unterpunkt der App kann man noch die Front-LED kontrollieren: Ist lustig, aber weiss nicht wirklich wozu die LED nutzen soll? Sehr nützlich sind hingegen die automatische Ver/Entriegelung wenn sich der Koffer entfernt/nähert.Auf der Reise: Bin mit dem Koffer München-London geflogen. Hatte ein wenig Sorgen wegen der Security, insbesodere London ist immer sehr streng (haben mich einmal nicht umsteigen lassen, als ich zwei kleine Handgepäckstücke hatte. Musste mich von einem trennen...).Aber diesmal überhaupt kein Problem. Haben nicht mal nach der integrierten Batterie des Bluesmart gefragt.Die Rollen und der Teleskop Griff am Bluesmart sind ebenfalls top, frage mich wieso ich früher meinen Laptop immer in einer schweren Schultertasche mit mir herum getragen habe. Mit dem 4 Rollen Handgepäck und nichts auf dem Rücken ist es soo viel angenehmer...Ebenfalls sehr praktisch ist der eingebaute Akku der neben Energie für die Smartfunktionen auch noch was für das Handy übrig hat.. Einfach das Handy einstöpseln und nicht mehr wie früher immer auf der Suche nach einem freien Flughafensteckdose sein. (Wenn man wie ich zu den Dinosauriern gehört die noch keine Powerbank mit sich rumtragen).Preis: Würde mir wünschen er wäre billiger, aber fürs berufliche Reisen ist der Preis für mich gerade noch tragbar. Meine Kollegen reisen alle mit Rimowas oder TUMIs, die sogar ohne Smartfunktionen noch teurer sind.Fazit: Muss noch mehr damit reisen, aber nach dem ersten Eindruck ist der Bluesmart mein perfektes Handgepäck: Ladefunktion, Schloss mit Entfernungskontrolle und Fronttasche für Laptop finde ich sehr nützlich. Gut verarbeitet, Design ist ein Hingucker, nichts was man sonst so sieht und der Koffer ist im allgemeinen ein gutes Gesprächsthema.