Tile Sport Pro Series REVIEW: Find all your gear anytime, anywhere.
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Have you ever experienced the blight of the wandering keys? It seems that my items develop legs and disappear through some form of locomotion. Whether you have children who pick up and move items, or you simply forget where you placed an item, the ire inducing feeling of loss seems universal. I never thought that I would need a tracker for my items. However, over the past eight months, I have enjoyed the comfort of knowing my wallet and my keys are protected by the tile system. I love that I can use the tile to find my phone, even if it is on silent (it causes the phone to ring) and I can use my phone to find the Tile. I have not yet lost any of my devices outside of my home, but have misplaced my keys and set my phone down randomly. I have used my keys to find my phone and vice versa. Unfortunately, my wife left her Samsung Galaxy on the bathroom sink, at our local mall. She went back not 5 minutes later and it was gone. Having a Tile on her key chain may have helped her to find her phone.
The Tile sport is packaged inside of a very appealing retail box. The front of the packaging has a clear window that displays the new/updated version of tile. The company has done a really nice job with the retail packaging. I appreciate the added attention to the plastic box, which does separate the device from the non-pro series. The Tile Sport slides out of the box easily and is ready to go, without any charging. behind the product is the multilingual 20-page instruction manual (English, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, French). If you have fallen in love with the clean white coloration of the previous generation of tiles, you can still purchase the previous models. However, just like modern Smartphones, our color preferences may be different. The Tile Sport is a gray, textured tile with central black disk and surrounding metallic frame. This provides a stark contrast to the previous iterations of the Tile device. If you are not yet sold, the packaging promises twice the range, waterproof status and that the device is twice as loud.
When evaluating the various types of tile, the website provides a very useful chart to categorize them into a few groups. The Tile mate (keyring) and tile slim (wallet/purse) are the previous iterations of the device. They are listed as having 100 ft range, 1x volume (used for comparison), Water and dust resistant IP57 (1 m for 30 min), and white/silver accented color. The Tile Mate and tile slim measure 34mm by 34mm by 4.65mm thick and 54mm by 54mm by 2.4mm thick respectively and weigh 6.1 and 9.3 grams. The new tile Sport has doubled the range by expanding to 200 ft. It is twice as loud and has improved dust/water resistance, with an IP68 rating (1.5m for 1 hour). The current tile Sport, from the pro series, is available in dark slate and graphite coloration. This color is more techie, more tactical and more fitting for some of the darker bags and keyrings. The product provides all of these new features but adds minimally to the size and heft. For double the volume and double the detection range, I would happily accept the 40 mm by 40 mm x 5.9mm thick dimensions. The outer rim of the tile Sport is metallic and gives the entire device a beefier feel. The device weighs in at 15 grams, roughly 6 grams heavier than the Slim and 10 grams heavier than the tile Mate.
The volume of the new tile is noticeably improved from previous models. I added the new tile Sport to my keyring and could not be more pleased with the appearance. To test the range, I set each tile up at 50 feet and activated each one. I then backed up to 75 feet, 100 feet, 125 feet and then 150 feet. I remarkably was still able to activate the tile slim and tile mate at 125 feet. Once I hit the 150-foot mark, neither of the tiles activated but the Tile Sport was still active. I was able to get a signal at 175 feet and 190 feet but did not make it to the full 200 feet reliably. Adding a wall in between the device and the phone essentially cut this distance in half. Adding two interior walls, led to no activation with my wife holding it in her hand. Regardless of the range improvement, the new pro series is a drastic enhancement upon the previous models and well worth the upgrade.
If you have already used tile previously, you are well versed in the application. To download this App, go to the IOS App store or to the Google Play store and download “tile.” Once the app is open, all you need to do is to select the “+” icon in the top left and select “Add Tile” Then you will press the logo once and it will make a jingle. Place the device by your phone and the tile will activate. Now if you select the appropriate Tile from the list, you can select find and it will jingle. Double click the central disk to make your phone jingle, even if in silent mode. If you select options, you can view the tile on the map, you can also select details and change the category, change the photo, and change the ringtone (my favorite is Bionic Birdie). The Tile App is regularly enhanced and the latest update was on 8/21/17. If you have not yet downloaded the latest update, please do so. If you lose your device, you can rely on the network of tile users to relay this information to you. There is one piece of information that is really important. To enjoy the find the phone feature, the tile app will need to be open in the background. Otherwise, the phone will do nothing when the tile is pressed.
If you are nearing the end of your current tile lifespan, 1 year, consider using the re-tile option to get the new tile Sport. Before I read about the re-tile program I thought that the 1-year life, without the ability to replace the battery was a really dumb idea. However, who amongst us really wants to keep the same device for multiple years, especially when technology advances. Truthfully, most of us want the latest and greatest technology and upgrade our gadgets regularly. The team from tile has chosen to recycle their devices and allows you to either purchase the same device again or to upgrade to the newest gear. By using this system, you can save up to 40% on a new Tile. The fact that they offer any reduction, shows the character of the company.
I am pleased with the updated device and look forward to what tile has in store for the future. I would rate the device at 5/5 stars for ease of use.
BUY FROM AMAZON
To learn more, visit thetileapp.com/sport.
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Originally published at macsources.com on August 24, 2017.
