Have you heard of tile? No, I’m not talking about that ceramic or stone material we usually use for our floors. I am talking about this tracking device that can help us locate our stuff— introducing, Tile.
Because of its constant updates, this card-shaped wireless finder is undeniably a must-have for people who are always on-the-go, and sometimes careless, in order to easily find their valuables.
Tile Mate and Tile Slim:
Unlike before, they are now offering 2 variants with smaller and slimmer designs. The first one is the Tile Mate ($25) which is a breeze to attach to keys, backpacks, luggage, and even to your pet’s collar.


 
The other is the Tile Slim ($30) which is custom-made to be inserted in wallets, purses or laptops.
These tinier Tiles work same as the original and still uses the previous app (both iOS and Android are supported now) Though the battery can’t still be replaced, its promised lifespan of a year can’t be doubted. You can also “reTile” for half price once the battery dies. How great is that?
 
How does it Work?
Well. Using it is so easy. You basically just need to attach it to something and use Bluetooth to connect Tile with your phone. Once you open the Tile app on your Android or iOS device, it will let you sound the alarm on any object you’ve misplaced. Tap the Find button once in the app, and the Tile will start playing a tune and will automatically stop once you re-tap the Find button.  A built-in map in the app displays the most recent location where your Tile was logged but it wouldn’t be so detailed since Tile lacks geofence capability, as of the moment.

If you couldn’t find your items at the specified Bluetooth range, don’t worry because if you mark it “lost” in the app and other Tile users are near that item, the Tile can still chime and update its location on the map. This would then be sent directly to you. Also, the other users would be notified about it and can even lend you a hand.
Thus, Tile app uses crowd-sourcing so anyone running the Tile app in the background will pick up the location of any Tiles in Bluetooth range, even if it’s not theirs. This all happens anonymously.
So, it would be really helpful if you lose something valuable in a public area.
You can even monitor the location of your Tiles all the time and show a ‘last seen’ position on a map, which will provide a guide on where to start looking.
Moreover, you can tap on the icon of a Tile (above the Find button) to get a signal strength meter. This is helpful when your Tile is in range but you can’t hear the tune. Fewer green bars means you’re far away, and these will increase as you get nearer.
Unlike some other trackers, there are no separation alerts which would tell you when your phone is too far from a Tile. This could tell you that you’ve left the house without your keys, or warn you that someone has walked off with your wallet.
With a rising user base, Tile says people use the app to locate more than half a million items every day. That’s quite a lot of successfully found items!
But, before you try to purchase or even ignore Tile, here are some of its pros and cons to help you decide better.
Pros:

• Compact and sleek design
• Good range 68 feet on average but can reach until 74 feet
• Two-way finding capabilities
• Audible alert noise at 88 Db
• The application is easy to navigate and has a user-friendly interface
• Works well with iOS and Android, too.

According to the official Tile site, It works well with Android devices like Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, HTC One, LG Nexus 4, LG Nexus 5. Any Android device that doesn’t support Bluetooth 4.0 will not work with Tile.
CONS:

• No geofence capability
• Battery can’t be replaced so you must repurchase every year

Now, would you consider purchasing one?