I like to think I’m pretty good about not losing things, but that’s not always the case. My keys and phone are always the worst offenders for me, which is exactly where Tile comes in. I have spent the last week with a second generation Tile attached to my keys to see it worked, if it could help me, or if I’m more organized than I thought.

As a quick introduction, Tile is a Bluetooth-enabled square that can be attached to just about anything or stored wherever you want. It’s then connected to your phone where it acts as a beacon that can be turned on at will. The second generation Tile also features a great web interface for finding your phone, and the Tile itself has a hidden button for paging your phone.

The installation process is really simple. Just follow the directions on the box and in the app. It really only takes a couple minutes. The Tile unit itself feels well made; it’s sleek and pretty, and I really enjoy the noise it plays when being paged because it reminds me of a Game and Watch or one of those classic Tiger handheld games. I wish there was a black Tile, because my white unit got dirty pretty fast. But hey, it has character now.

In the week I used Tile, I did need it once. And it was there for me. I simply opened the app, rang my Tile, and found my keys (I left them in the bedroom, I swear I never do that). I also made sure the phone pager worked, which it did, and that the website worked, which it did. So I really don’t have any complaints about performance or how Tile functions. I did notice one small problem where it took a second for the Tile app to recognize my Tile or sometimes I had to reopen it, but it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind that I won’t lose my keys anymore.

I could end this review right here, but I want to point out something very important about Tile that I hope comes through in the brevity of this piece. Tile is really simple, and that’s one of the things I like the most about it. It’s flexible, and people have found really cool things to do with their Tile, but I just wanted to make sure I didn’t lose my keys. Integrating it into my life took virtually zero effort on my end. Far too often, technology products require you to rearrange some aspect of your life or routine to reap the benefits. All I did was install an app and attach a new keychain to my keys. I wish more things could be as simple as Tile and work as well.

To buy a Tile, head on over to Amazon or the official Tile store.

from Android and Me http://ift.tt/1NMp4UI
via IFTTT