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Seek and ye shall find. Or, at least you hope so. But the more stuff you have, the easier it is to lose things.

Earlier this year, Paper Doll shared Bluetooth solutions for keeping track of your gone-missing items in the post Paper Doll Finds Your Lost Keys, Wallets, and Phones: Bluetooth Trackers 2019 and the follow-up, Paper Doll Finds Your Lost Eyeglasses: Technology Beyond Checking the Top of Your Head. 

If you are frustrated that your things go missing and you haven’t tried a Bluetooth tracker, this post is for you. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and a plethora of holiday gift-shopping situations on the horizon, we are all – ourselves, our families, and all of our recipients – going to have to keep track of stuff and the paraphernalia we need to keep our stuff working. Hence this update post on Tile.

In Paper Doll Finds Your Lost Keys, Wallets, and Phones, we covered Bluetooth basics and the most popular solutions, including Tile. If it’s been a while since you read the post, or you’re new to the world of Bluetooth trackers, I encourage you to revisit that post and see the magic of having tiny doodads keeping track of the things you bury, wander away from, or which wander away from you (in the hands of tiny humans, furry friends, or your last rideshare experience).

Previously, the last line of Tile products offered three main options, the Pro, Mate, and Slim, as it appeared below.

The three designs were different from one another in terms of sizes, Bluetooth ranges, alarm volumes, but all were designed to attach to your possessions (keys, wallets, cameras, umbrellas, fancy water bottles, favorite stuffed animals, backpacks, remote controls, etc.).

The key commonality was that with a quick tap on the app, you could find your lost stuff, and even have it give you a “yoohoo!” (Far from your stuff? As we explained in the original post, Tile’s community of users extends the reach of your search, as if a whole posse of detectives were on the case.) 

Recently, Tile introduced a brand-new “hardware” lineup that improves upon the characteristics of the prior projects. Basically, that chart above is “soooo 2019” and the refreshed items include some interesting updates.

TILE SLIM

Remember the Tile Slim? (See that old info on the right of the chart?) The NEW Tile Slim has received quite the upgrade! Instead of a flat square, it’s now shaped like a credit card, perfect when you’re looking at a “low-profile” design, like in a wallet or a business card case. (Seriously, have you ever set down your business card case at a conference to shake hands or examine something in an expo or because you’re talking with your hands? No? Just me?) 

The Slim is still 2.4mm thick (about the thickness of two credit cards, but wider (86mm instead of 54mm) to fit comfortably in all the places you’d store credit, debit, loyalty, or business cards.

Previously, the Tile Slim had a 1-year built-in (non-replaceable) battery; the battery now lasts three years. The range has been doubled from 100 to 200 feet (from 30 to 61 meters), and has a louder ring to help you find what’s yours more quickly. 

The Slim is available in black, only, and costs $29.99.

TILE STICKER

Tile recognized that some stuff is just plain small, and small stuff needs smaller Tiles. Otherwise, your stuff gets lumpy and the “feel” just isn’t right. This led to the new Tile Sticker.

The Sticker is Tile’’s smallest tracking solution. These little dots of Bluetooth power are waterproof and adhere to your items with Tile’s time-tested adhesive backing that can stick to anything. (OK, don’t stick it directly on the dog, however often he gets lost! That’s just not cool.)

The Stickers have a 3-year battery life and a range of 150 feet. Like the Slim, the Stickers are only available in Black.

They sell for $39.99 for a 2-pack or $59.99 for a 4-pack.

TILE MATE and PRO (UPDATED)

Tile hasn’t forgotten the rest of their lineup. To round out these improvements, Tile has expanded the Bluetooth range to enable zippier search and more reliable “finding” for both the Tile Mate from 150 to 200 feet (from 45 to 60 meters) and the Tile Pro from 300 to 400 feet (from 90 to 122 meters).

For those who care about styling, the Mate is available in White for $24.99, and the Pro is available in Black or White for $34.99.

HOW TILE WORKS

TILE 2020 LINEUP COMPARED

As you can see, the Tile Pro is the only version that gives you a choice of colors, and it has the loudest ring and double the range of any of the other products. But it’s also the thickest.

The Mate is smaller but thicker than the Slim, and you can replace the battery, but (like the Pro) it’s merely water-resistant, not waterproof like the Slim (and the Stickers). But the Mate does have a replaceable battery.

So, depending on each object you want to track, you’ll want to decide what’s the most important feature(s) for you for that object.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Color – Do you need your Tile to blend in with the surroundings? Do you really need to make a fashion statement? If aesthetics are truly your thing, there are always decorative Tile Skins.

Range – Where do you use your stuff? If you’re affixing it to a remote control or something else that never leaves your house, or if you live in a small apartment rather than a McMansion, a huge range may not be as important as it would be for something you schlep to work, school, and the beach.

Volume – As with range, if you’ve got sharp ears (or a child, teenager, or dog with sharp ears), having the loudest alarm may not be important, but if you’re buying Tiles for the great-grandparents or you work or hang out in a loud environment, the Sticker’s volume may not be loud enough for your needs.

Battery – Ah, the eternal debate: a longer-lasting built-in battery or a shorter, replaceable battery? It’s a personal choice, but I know I’d rather replace a battery than a whole device.

Water-resistance – Is your tiny human carrying her backpack through some raindrops or does she like to dump all the remotes in the (filled) bathtub? It’s worth considering.

Dimensions – How big is the “thing” that you don’t want to lose? How concerned are you about style and fit vs. function?

COMBO and MULTI PACKS

Recognizing that few of us need to track merely one thing, Tile has a variety of combo and multi-packs to fit a range of situations. I encourage you to sit down with your holiday gift list and figure out what gifts you’re giving might be augmented by the insurance policy of a Bluetooth tracker like Tile. Then take a reality check in your household and figure out what everyone is always misplacing, and go from there.

Tile Essentials: 2 Tile Stickers, 1 Tile Slim, 1 Tile Mate available for $69.99

Tile Pro Combo: 2-Pack (one black, one white) at $59.99 and 4-Pack (two black, two white) at $99.99

Tile Mate: 4-Pack for $69.99

Tile Mate/Slim Combo: 2 Mates and 2 Slims, available for $74.99

GOOGLE NEST

In October, Tile partnered with Google to make search even easier via the Google Nest device. So, if you’ve got a Google Nest (formerly Google Home), instead of using your phone and the Tile app, you can ask your Google Assistant to yoohoo your Tile devices for you. So, if you say, “Hey Google, make my wallet ring!” it’ll do that for you. (The 21st century is weird that way.)

If you don’t have a Nest, you can still tell your Google Assistant what to do. However, although you won’t have to tap your phone, you’ll still need your phone with the Tile app running somewhere nearby so the Tile app can tell your Tile doohickey to ring. 

FINAL WORD

No matter what you acquire this holiday season, whether for yourself or for others, Bluetooth trackers are still only part of the story. Whatever you’ve got (or intend to acquire) make sure it serves your needs, and consider letting whatever languishes in drawers and cabinets be a blessing to someone else via donation. Don’t keep what you don’t need. (But if you’re having trouble keeping track of what you do need, Bluetooth trackers are pretty cool.)