Keyport Slide now ready for your $295

What? A month not long enough to scrounge up 29,500 pennies? That's really too bad, as the limited edition Keyport Slide is now available to anyone willing to fork over the aforementioned quantity of cash. Granted, we still think that's a touch entirely too pricey for what you're getting, but hey, at least you can pick between four colors, right?

[Thanks, William]

[Jesse S @ Dec 5th 2007 12:21AM]

Hopefully this will become cheaper, I still want one...for $50.

[rumblerjon @ Dec 5th 2007 1:50AM]

My keyring is alright

[Ant @ Dec 5th 2007 2:29AM]

you would pay $50 for a keychain?!?
ill sell you a keychain that is...ready for it....a flashlight AND voice recorder in one right now for the low price of $25!

[Yossarian @ Dec 5th 2007 3:37AM]

Just wait for the chinese knockoffs :)

[Evan @ Dec 5th 2007 8:09AM]

This actually looks really cool but I cannot see paying much more than 20 bucks for this. I am sure someone at home could make one for cheap.

[Mikey @ Dec 5th 2007 1:29PM]

Especially since my key is built into my remote keyless entry keyfob. These guys made a horrible marketing decision.

[smartmlp @ Dec 5th 2007 12:24AM]

Ill tell you why: Its American made, so they have to charge extra for it being lead free.

[roflercopterer @ Dec 5th 2007 12:57AM]

The word you're looking for is labor.

They have to charge "extra" because labor costs more in the US

[Anthony @ Dec 5th 2007 12:28AM]

Can someone please explain to me how any car purchased in the last, say, 10 years would work w/ this device? I mean, I want to open my doors, trunk, etc & everything from my 1998 Jetta to my 2006 Civic have functions built into the key.

No- wait- wait- reading their website I can see that for $5000 they will make one work w/ the various integrated functionality of key fobs.

Sign me up.

[atrain @ Dec 5th 2007 12:47AM]

Those "functions" you are talking about are usually RFID chips. Considering their size, I think they should be able to jam them in their somewhere. It shouldn't be too much of an issue. And, its only needed to start the engine, any plain copy of the key should work fine in the doors/trunk. (What happens if your car looses batteries? Are you going to get locked out? Thought not)

[Prokanda @ Dec 5th 2007 1:21AM]

@ atrain:

yeah.. if the battery dies it'll get you in.. but would you pay 295 bucks for a keyring slider that you can only use (without setting off your alarm) on the off chance that your car died overnight?

I think the point was that no one wants to pay 300 bucks for a little metal box with springs that they can't use on a daily basis with their car.. and who cares about getting in the door/trunk with a dead battery, it wouldn't turn over the ignition, you'd still need the coded key for that... and if you have the coded key.... (say it with me)... that renders this thing useless. Just. Like. They. Were. Saying.

As an owner of an '08 honda civic, I need everything integrated... my key IS my remote. The buttons are on the plastic that you hold to turn the key. As a matter of fact, all new dodges, scion tC's, all hondas (except the DX's), and many other cars are like this.

Who cares what it's crafted from and how many keys you can fit on it. I mean, if you need 6 keys that badly, chances are that you're not the average person with 1 house.. or 2 houses worth of keys. I have one key that operates all my locks, I have one key that operates all of the locks at my parents house, and I have my honda key/remote combo. Really, who's bothered by 3 keys on a ring? The only people this would be useful for are the types that are managers and have many keys.. usually far more than 6... and those types don't have 300 bucks to needlessly drop on a damn metal box with springs.

/rant over.

[murray @ Dec 5th 2007 1:53AM]

@atrain: "Those "functions" you are talking about are usually RFID chips."

Er.. no, dude. They're not. They're RF transmitters. You press a button on the key, it transmits a code to the car, the door opens.

What you're thinking of does exist in cars made in the last few years, but just to identify the key to the car. They still have transmitters in them.

[Scott G. @ Dec 5th 2007 12:38AM]

Does it come with a a $290 mail-in rebate?

[Bloobie @ Dec 5th 2007 12:42AM]

It's too bad that this is useless to those of us who have invested in high-security locks (e.g., Mul-T-Lock, Medeco, Videx, etc.) for our homes.

[atrain @ Dec 5th 2007 12:52AM]

http://key-port.com/kp_faq/

Their 1 step ahead of you. They will do those, as well as RFID car keys, for a small fee.

[Prokanda @ Dec 5th 2007 1:24AM]

@ atrain:

Wow.. you're just belting out the goodies tonight....

"a small fee"? Yeah, if you call 5 THOUSAND DOLLARS for a KEY "small". (And that's just the minimum for a single keyset).

[Bloobie @ Dec 5th 2007 2:03AM]

Ah, so they would need to reduce the bow of the key to what is essentially just the blade for both Medeco and Mul-T-Lock keys. This would not work, however, for their CLIQ products or for Videx's CyberKey (which has no keyway or blade to speak of).

[Tony @ Dec 5th 2007 12:42AM]

That thing is pretty slick, I something compact like that should have existed by now. Yes I too have one key fob thingy that would not play nice with this, but I do have many other keys for other cars, doors, mailbox, that this would be great for.

Great that is if it were hella-cheaper

[darren @ Dec 5th 2007 12:54AM]

Dang. I seem to have misplaced my keys. Not to worry, I have a spare.

Oh wait..

[Jackyshadow @ Dec 5th 2007 1:05AM]

If it costs like 10 bucks, would it be able to make it all the way to engadget?

[ByronGman @ Dec 5th 2007 1:37AM]

"Keyport Slide, the Optimus Maximus of key rings."

[Garst @ Dec 5th 2007 2:15AM]

I'm making five (5) limited edition Garst Mudd Pies. Each pie is made from the rich soil along the Kankakee River. Every pie only costs $125, or buy all five for $625. Call now, and I will throw in monogram sketching for the low price of $35.

See, I can offer a piece of crap to people, too.

[Forklift @ Dec 5th 2007 2:17AM]

That looks like a cool device I would impulse buy if it were under $20. I wouldn't care care whether it were hard assembled...

Anyone know of any similar (but reasonably priced) alternatives?

[St. Stephen @ Dec 5th 2007 2:18AM]

it's pretty lame for the current time, 10 years ago it would've been sweet with a price tag of $15. It wouldn't work out for me at all, my house uses a high security lock (as Bloobie mentioned earlier) and my 2 auto's are Benz's. Oh well, too expensive and too late.

[alexey @ Dec 5th 2007 2:19AM]

From their site:
"A custom Keyport™ starts at $5,000 USD. Imagine a your Keyport™ with all your preferred technology, made out of titanium, with a diamond encrusted bezel and slider buttons. You will be the only one in the world to own one."

"Imagine a your Keyport"

[Alexey @ Dec 5th 2007 2:20AM]

They sure are right about the last sentence :)

[skhawaja @ Dec 5th 2007 2:42AM]

machinists all over the world are turning on their mills and drill presses.

I would imagine you can make one yourself, which includes a vice, metal hobby box, hacksaw, slides and guides, matching springs, raised knobs, and small drill with metal bits.

What do your RFID embedded keys cost new from dealer?

Average number of keys for upper income person:

3 keys for own house, 3 keys for parents house, 2 keys for girlfriends condo, 2 keys for convertible, 2 keys for van, 2 keys for coupe.

Do i get a volume discount?

This thing could definitely replace the business card scene from American Psycho.

I doubt this would work in a number of locks, usually you have to fully insert the key, sample photo provided doesn't look like it's going to get that done either.

Waiting for next version, thanks.

[grjohnston @ Dec 5th 2007 3:08AM]

Please tell me there are three sliders on the other side, instead of six key holes and only three sliders...

[raven @ Dec 5th 2007 3:37AM]

it's 6 keys, you see 6 slots? 3 slides 3 keys on one side, the other 3 slides the keys from the other side...

Judgding from it's design, a handy man could make you one for a fraction of that price, RFID it all, pfft... how many of us really use it?

[PEZ @ Dec 5th 2007 7:29AM]

someone (like brookstone or sharer image) will come out with a $50 lousy version in a month. Then Wal-Mart with the $29 version after xmas.

[miron @ Dec 6th 2007 4:36PM]

Then Chine with the "Keypart Slide" for a dollar.

[joseph siegel @ Dec 5th 2007 8:31AM]

I work not form over a penny to a company that cant spell or speak proper english

on the faq page:

What do mean, 'convert my key?'

How do you fit all my different sized keys in such a small unit?

We replace your keys with a compible blank or reduce each of your key bows (heads) to exact tolerances that clip into our proprietary slider apparatus

JUST WHAT the heck is a compible blank?

[Zak @ Dec 5th 2007 11:24AM]

"I work not form over a penny to a company that cant spell or speak proper english"

"would" "fork" "can't", "English" is capitalized, and use a period at the end there.

[BananaBoat @ Dec 5th 2007 8:58AM]

Keyless entry made this thing useless 10 years ago. Kudos for ripping off those pens with selectable colors though.

[Teetdogs @ Dec 5th 2007 12:04PM]

Not to mention the 75 dollar shipping fee plus duties and taxes... I cannot even begin to understand how they expect to sell these, I could actualy make use of something like this for my work keys but at nearly 400 dollars after shipping and such I think I can hold onto my key ring a little bit longer. not to mention when you lose your keys youve also lost 400 bucks.

[Bombaclaat @ Dec 5th 2007 12:14PM]

one word, why?

[silicon @ Dec 5th 2007 1:17PM]

I think they missed two decimal places, only worth $2.95 and you can bet your bottom dollar that china can make it for cheaper.

[Steven Reynolds @ Dec 5th 2007 4:20PM]

I bought one. Apparently 189 people in front of me dropped the cash also. I doubt I'll be the last one either.

[Brandon L @ Dec 5th 2007 7:07PM]

"What about my rewards card bar code tag for my favorite store?

You typically do not need to carry bar code cards with you. You can simply enter your phone number at the store on their p.o.s. machine prior to making a purchase. "

Haha way for them to totally shutdown our barcode tags and make assumptions.
I like to carry various keychains that actually serve use though, like that GPS keychain I use in my car. Plus, how would this thing fit into recessed keyholes?

[Z @ Dec 6th 2007 2:21AM]

These are aircraft grade aluminum, they're the first to come out, and they're making a limited run of this version.

Although they're making 5000 of them, so it seems that should be enough not to have to charge that much. Apparently, they'll be making versions that are made out of materials other than AG aluminum (high-grade plastics perhaps?).

The $5000 price for a custom made keyport seems absurd. But then again, you'd be receiving a finished, one-off product (not a raw prototype) with a LOT of features (excluding diamonds and all that crap). That requires enormous amounts of engineering and labor that is not cheap. Whether it's worth $5000 is another issue altogether. Naturally, very few people would ever bite on that, but at least they offer that option, which is more than what any other gadget company in their type of position would ever provide.

The company says they're working on versions that will incorporate all the goodies that people would or may want: Vehicle ignition RF transmitters, car alarms, LED lights, an integrated pocket knife blade, and who knows what else. All without the ridiculous $5000 price tag.

I believe their goal is to get the basic keyport (like they're selling now) down to about $50 bucks, maybe a bit less. I don't think people understand what all is involved in making something like this and making it high quality. That's the mark of any great product - all you see are clean lines in the design and simplicity in how it operates without knowing all that went into it. Eventually, China could make a knockoff that could sell for $20 or so, but it would undoubtedly be a piece of crap.

And then I think their intention, if my memory serves correct, is that with all the other options I listed above, the price would move up to around $200 or $300 (give or take a bit) with everything.

That's still a bit spendy, but I would love to get rid of my stupid, idiotic, bulky, noisy keyring that always gets tangled and scratches up everything else in my pockets. I'm not biting on this $300 version (I'd have to have the RF transmitter, car alarm, and LED functionality before I would ever spend that kind of money on this) - but this very product is an absolute Godsend in my book. My keys are the last piece of the puzzle in terms of cleaning up and consolidating what I carry in my pockets. More organization and convergence is always welcome, and this will help me (and others) achieve just that with our keys.

And no, I don't work for the company. And no, I don't know anyone who does. Personally, I just like the product and want to see it grow and succeed. A lot of other people do, too. And I wanted to pass on a bit of info to those curious. Hopefully, the company will be swift and offer the versions that many of us want at prices that are reasonable (all things considered).