Meet Tile, the “worlds largest lost and found”
Despite taking a recent hiatus from crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, I still occasionally receive items from campaigns I sponsored a while back. It’s always fun to have a random gadget show up at your door, like a mini version of Christmas morning. Recently I received the Tile tracking devices.
Tile bills itself as the “World’s largest lost and found”. The small devices attach to anything you dont want to lose: keys, wallet, laptop, kids, pets, spouses, etc. Using low power Bluetooth 4.0 (aka Bluetooth Smart) to locate the small beacons around you. (Editor’s note: Chris, please do not tag your baby with one of these. If you keep losing Maddy, we need to have a talk!) Tile also supports a social-networking function where if another tile user is within range of one of your lost devices, you’ll be notified of the item’s location. (Another editor’s note: So… if I stumble across your baby, you’ll get a notification from Tile before I call your husband and let him know you’ve lost the baby again? ha!)
The tile is similar in concept to the Trackr devices that I reviewed in January (but since then, I have not regularly used them). Based on my initial experience, I prefer the Tile devices. The Tiles are small and compact, about 1/3 the side of a normal debit/credit card (and square with rounded corners). They are a bit thick, about 3/4 the depth of an iphone 5. The front of the device has a hole for attaching to keys, string, lanyards, etc as well as the name. The “e” of the word Tile also cleverly hides a button used for pairing. In addition to the hole on the tracker for a keyring or lanyard, the tile also comes with pre-cut double sided adhesive strips for attaching it to anything else with a smooth surface.
Setting up the Tile is super easy and took maybe 1 minute. You download the free app (iOS only support for now), ensure your bluetooth is turned on (mine is normally to save power), and go through about 4 steps, and you’re done!
Tile allows you to assign a name to each device (for example, Chris Car Keys) and a photo too if you want. Once the tile is paired with your phone, you can see the items last known location and how long ago they were “seen”. You can also easily pull up a map showing the exact location (which is determined with your phone’s GPS). You can also use the app to cause the device to emit a sound which is helpful locating it nearby.
Overall the devices and app are well-designed and easy to use. The tile devices play a cute song (think of old skool tamogachi) when you pair them, as well as another song when you locate the devices using your phone. One of the most interesting parts of Tile’s business model is that you never have to replace the batteries in the tracking devices. Tile will remind you when its time to exchange the devices (via email, about once a year). Then you ship back your old tiles and get new ones (presumably for a fee which has not yet been determined). The advantage is you always get the newest hardware including any updated components. The downside of course is having to send the devices back for replacement.
Tile’s compatibility is a bit limited at this time, only supporting iOS (including recent iPads, ipod touch, and iphones). According to Tile’s website, android/windows phone/blackberry support is not available “at this time”. Specifically, because the associated phone requires bluetooth 4.0. There may be apps for other devices/platforms in the future.
Compared to the Trackr device, I personally prefer the Tile. The devices and app are well designed and feel polished. The packaging is nice, if not a bit flimsy. The user experience to set up, pair, and use the device couldn’t be any simpler. The social networking/lost and found concept is nice, but of course limited by the number of other tile users. If you are habitually losing your stuff, you should definitely check out the tile!
