LAS VEGAS - Made a 2015 resolution to stop lighting up? A smart cigarette lighter may be just the tool you need. Launched here at CES 2015, Quitbit is a $99 cigarette lighter that tracks how much you've smoked and blocks you from lighting up too often. It will be available in March. I had a brief encounter with a prototype and am intrigued, albeit a bit skeptical.
The lighter itself uses electricity and an actuator to light cigarettes, like in a car lighter. The onboard battery will last about a week on a charge, according to Quitbit, and you charge the device via microUSB. On the device's glossy black body is an LED display that shows information such as the amount of time since your last cigarette, battery life and messages when you light up.
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Through the companion app for iOS and Android, you can set goals (or limits), and the lighter will actually stop you from lighting up if you've smoked too many cigarettes. The prototype I saw wasn't working, but according to a Quitbit video, the lighter will display the amount of time left till you can next light up.
With the app, you can send your light-up data to your smartphone to get an overview of your behavior. Not only can you see how many cigarettes you've smoked, you can also track the money you've saved and the years of your life you got back based on cigarette's you might have smoked without the lighter. The app also monitors the time of day you light up, so you can better understand your smoking behavior and triggers.
For more support as you quit, the Quitbit portal also has a Community section of fellow smokers, who can help cheer you on. Of course, for medical assistance and support while trying to quit you should speak with your doctor.
It seems easy enough to cheat the system, but since you have full control over your daily limit, you're not likely to want to cheat. In fact, according to a Quitbit rep, people are using the lighter more to track how much they've been smoking than to help them quit.
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Staff Writer Cherlynn Low has never smoked a cigarette in her life. Follow her @cherlynnlow. Follow Tom's Guide at @tomsguide on Facebook.
