Delayed August smart lock finally starts shipping

The route to market for a new product is seldom straightforward, as smart lock start-up August has found, but after several months of delays the Yves Behar-designed door furniture is finally shipping. Announced more than a year ago, back in May 2013, August – which can be controlled remotely from your iPhone or Android device – was intended to ship in Q1 this year, but didn't make its self-imposed deadline.

In fact, it's only this week that shipments of preorders are beginning. August says the locks are going out "in limited quantities" to early customers now, though expects it to take the next few months before all of its orders are fulfilled.

Still, the wait may well have been worth it for many. Although August isn't the only smart lock out there, it's certainly one of the more pleasing designs: a discrete metal disc with embedded LEDs.

It's also powered by batteries, making installation easier since you don't have to run a mains power cable to your door, and August says it should be compatible with 90-percent of home lock systems in the US and take just a few minutes of screwdriver-twiddling to fit.

If the batteries go flat, there's a backup key to get you in through the door. Meanwhile, temporary or timed invitations can be sent out to other peoples' phones, allowing you to give unlock permissions to house guests, repair teams, or others.

So, late but much-anticipated, and as the smart home space expands we're likely to see more companies trying to improve how security is handled. Meanwhile, the news also means that August's pre-order pricing is over, which means you'll have to stump up $249.99 not $199.99.

VIA MacRumors

SOURCE August