Finding
stuff with a smartphone made easy….
© 2015 BOB SKIDMORE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
BOB SKIDMORE
CORRESPONDENT
One of life’s most frustrating problems is tracking
the location of items like keys, wallets, purses and other movable items that
you easily misplace. I’ve reported on several detection devices in the past,
however TILE tests out to be not
only reliable, but extremely durable too.
What is TILE? TILE is a thin plastic one and a half-inch
square chip.
It has a self-contained, not interchangeable nor chargeable
battery. A small hole in the corner is provided for attaching to key chains,
key rings, etc. It can also be affixed to objects with a supplied self-stick
sticker. It requires the downloading of a free app on to your iPhone, Android device
or iPad and does interface with Apple Watch. Once downloaded the setup is very
easy. Graphics or photos of the specific items attached to your TILE can be
included on the displayed list of TILES to identify each of your TILES. The
manufacturer indicates that you can have an unlimited number of TILES loaded on
your account. Since the internal battery can’t be charged or replaced you will
need to purchase a replacement TILE after about one year of use. No current
procedure exists if you change devices, however, TILE plans to issue a solution
in the future to satisfy this scenario. It’s water resistant meaning that
spilled liquids or rain should not pose a problem.
(TIP:
When your TILE nears it’s lifespan you’ll
receive a message indicating that, and offering registered users specially
reduced pricing for a replacement.)
TILE uses Bluetooth to connect with your smartphone or
iPad and what the TILE is assigned to. Bluetooth has a range of 30 to as much
as 100 feet. If you go out of range the last location before loosing the
Bluetooth signal is stored. So if you were last at the grocery store, go home
and discover your purse is missing, you’ll see a GPS map pinpointing that
location.
Once you approach within the Bluetooth range and the smartphone TILE
app is in the “lost mode”, a melody from the TILE will play aiding in locating
the missing item. You can invite one additional person to share each tile with
you thus doubling your locating capability.
TILE works well. It’s simple to use, very durable
compared to other similar products and a very effective solution for tracking
your lost items. My only disappointment is that the battery cannot be user
replaced forcing the user to purchase a replacement. This is great for the
manufacturer, but costly and inconvenient to the user. TILE currently appears
to be only available on line from the manufacturer, HSN and Amazon.
(TIP:
TILE offers excellent tech support via an
on-line chat service. I have spoken with
Josh a few times and found him to quickly offer solutions that worked.)
(UPDATE:
I just returned from a trip to Europe. I
securely attached a TILE to my standard sized suitcase as a test. I left Tampa,
flew to Detroit, then on to Amsterdam and Copenhagen with my final destination
being Gothenburg, Sweden. Somewhere in this sequence the TILE was illegally
removed. Solution, place it in a side pocket where it will not be so tempting to remove.)
GADGETEER’s RATING: ★★★★★
MSRP: $25.00 (substantial
quantity discounts offered)
Graphic
credits: TILE
Bob Skidmore is a freelance
writer, who may be contacted at bob.thegadgeteer.skidmore@gmail.com, or followed at twitter.com/bskidmore for the latest gadget industry news. He does not represent,
or endorse any of the products he reviews and his opinions are solely his
points of view and not those of the manufacturer. The manufacturer generally
supplies products at no cost for the articles and no other compensation is
received. THE GADGETEER is highly selective as to products he feels worthy of
review so as not to waste the reader’s time, thus the reason for many superior
ratings.
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