These Cute, Tiny Sensors Will Soon Be Watching You Everywhere

One of the promises of the “Internet of things” is that it will connect the real-world with the virtual. Low-energy Bluetooth beacons are emerging as one of its stronger early technologies.

Estimote, one of the leading beacon startups, just launched new, tiny beacon “stickers,” which it will start selling to developers and hobbyists. Basically a battery and a tiny, low-energy computer, beacons send unique Bluetooth radio pulses, which a mobile device can recognize.

It’s important to note that beacons don’t receive information, so they aren’t actually watching you themselves. To be monitored -- at least how things stand today -- you will first need to install a specific app and give it permission to track your location.