TILE ~ Never lose anything again

TILE ~

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)

For more information go to: http://bit.ly/1f7GJTq

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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