Tile Slim REVIEW World’s thinnest Bluetooth tracker
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There are a variety of methods one can use to keep track of your stuff. My wife is an everything-in-its-place kind of girl and I am an organized chaos type. My method is completely alien to my wife. I know where I left the item, I know what pile it was in and where it was located. To her, this is clutter and completely unacceptable. However, I have never lost a phone, a wallet or much of anything. That is, I never lost anything until I was married and had 3 children. They have a tendency to move things or distract me to the point, where I forget where I have laid something down. This is often ire-provoking as I get frustrated having to try to search out the item. Whether you are the type of person who forgets your wallet at a restaurant, on a counter somewhere or just misplaces them even your own home, Tiles are the devices for you.
Recently, Tile, Inc. has introduced a few varieties of their tracker. I have previously reviewed the Tile-Mate, the Nomad Powerpack with tile and talked about the tile app. Tile is working with various companies on integrating their tech into other products. This is a win/win scenario as both parties benefit from the commensalism. Of the trackers I have utilized and reviewed, Tile has been one of the most consistent, reliable and intuitive systems on the market. It is thus appropriate that Nomad chose to add the Tile. Beyond just the tech, the Tile company seems to care about people and their stuff. I love the Tile community, a group of people linked by the app to help find your item if it is lost. I have purposely left my Tile app in the on position to help others to find their stuff. This system works both ways and relies on the fact that there are people everywhere. It is a bonus that there are so many Tile users, but is more helpful in areas with higher populations.
The tile slim arrives in a rather attractive retail packaging, showing the narrow design of the tile slim (in actual size) being placed into the pocket of a wallet. Across the top, they have added a slogan “Find your wallet, phone, anything.” The back of the packaging details the features of the app paired device. You can expect to “See it. Ring it. Find it,” and you have the promise that you can attach this to just about anything (adhesives sold separately). The bottom of the packaging details the UPC code, the 1-year non-replaceable battery and limited warranty. Additionally, you have a QR code that will link you to the product website and the various tech labels.
The tile slim can be purchased alone or as part of a combo pack. I received a single device, and the packaging detailed this along the front. Remove the inner box from the outer slip cover. The tile slim is resting inside of a cardboard cutout. Beneath the cardboard, you will find a Limited Warranty Card, FCC regulation card, and a multi-language instructional pamphlet. If you have previously utilized a tile, setup could not be easier. Using an iPhone touch the middle of your screen and swipe down to search. Enter “tile” and a list will appear for the tile app and for each tile you have updated (it will take you to each individually linked tile. From the app, touch the “+” in the top left and then selected “Add a Tile.” Choose from one of the options: original, Slim, Mate, Other. Touch the tile logo on the slim and then place it by your phone. You will hear a jingle and then the device will pair. You can then choose the category for the tile: Keys, wallet, purse, phone, car, bike, backpack, ID badge, briefcase, lugging, passport, remote, tablet, laptop, camera, Headphones, spare key, coat, umbrella or other. These are further grouped into a few subcategories as well.
Do not feel bad if you decide you want to change the category. This is not a final choice. You can return to the app, choose the tile and then select options and then details. You can change the category, you can change the ringtone and even save a photo of the item the tile is protecting. I prefer Bionic Birdie for my tiles but check back from time to time as they update their jingles (Jingle Bells and Auld Lang Syne for example). This version of the tile has the same 1-year battery of all of the devices. Additionally, it employs a speaker with 82 decibels of sound, measures 54mm x 54mm x 2.4mm and weighs the equivalent of just over 9 paperclips (9.3grams/0.3 ounces). The device is listed as iP57 and thus is able to be submerged to roughly 1meter for 30 minutes.
I like that tile has a find my phone option by utilizing the gray button in the center of the tile slim. If you hold the button, nothing will happen. You must double press the button to tell your phone to ring. This will work, even if your phone is in silent. I had my children hide my tile slim inside of my home and I found it every time with the app. The range is about a 100 feet, which is adequate. I then had my children hide my phone and I was able to find the phone using the tile slim. The slim will activate the sound on the iPhone 7 plus, even if it was set to silent. This feature alone is a godsend. How many of us have misplaced our phone, then had a family member/friend call it to find it. Well, how many of us had our phones on silent and set it down. The game of find-my-phone becomes ever more difficult. Now, your phone will ring, even in silent.
The button is a little sensitive and has a low threshold for pressure. I have accidentally set off the tile x2 since I have owned it. Repositioning the slim from the back/front of the card slot to the middle of the card slot seemed to help by having credit cards on either side to absorb the pressure. Perhaps a feature allowing you to change the number of presses or an app setting to enable/disable this feature may be an added perk. Either way, this is a workaround for a much-needed option. I hope that they do not remove this feature in the future.
If I had a single complaint of the tile, It is the 1-year battery life. This is not an absolute complaint as there are benefits to this choice. Imagine 1 year from now that the company has released the latest generation of the Tile. I want the new bells and whistles and I want the latest tech. If the battery is upgradable, this adds complexity to the entire process and may decrease my desire to upgrade. With their current system, the tiles are designed to be easy and to be friendly even to the tech naive. Enter the reTile program. This program allows you to purchase a new tile, with new functions and abilities, at a discounted price. When it comes to customer-centric thought, this policy is incredibly generous. Why would they not make you buy a new full priced device, at the 1-year mark? They very well could, but they do not. I am incredibly thankful for their choice.
If you are looking for a tracker for a wallet/bag, coat pocket, this slim, lightweight option is a must. For added utility, you can pair the tile slim with the slim pocket accessory, which is an iron-on pocket to house your tile slim. You can use adhesives to attach the slim to a laptop, to a tool box. Never again lose your stuff with tile on overwatch.
BUY FROM AMAZON
Learn more about the Slim Tile Accessory Bundle and Tile Mate Accessory Bundle.
To purchase a Tile Mate or Tile slim or the Slim or Mate Accessory Bundle (online discounts currently) go to the Tile website.
Find Tile on Facebook and Twitter.
Originally published at macsources.com on February 20, 2017.
