My husband spent a whole week looking for his iPad which he lost somewhere inside the house. Our kid, who is at that stage of randomly hiding stuff, was the primary suspect; until we found the iPad sitting on top of a shelf that even I couldn’t reach. Since its only the three of us in our apartment, my husband could only sheepishly shake his head.
Following that incident, I bought him the ‘tile‘ – a small gadget one can attach to things and then use to find them via one’s Bluetooth. Wallet, keys, metro pass will start beeping if the tile is activated. As a bonus, if one misplaces his/her phone, the tile, unlike similar products, also has a ‘call back’ function – gadget can ring the mobile. Neat right?
He hated it.
I bought a set of 4 tiles, 2 different sizes at €65 (approximately US$75). They came as advertised but buyer beware of the things they don’t put in bold print. Here’s the fine print:
– Tile battery only lasts a year which means you have to pay at least US$40 annually for a full set of four tiles – that’s already with the discount. It’s an expensive subscription and is a bit much for a gadget that beeps.
– E waste: while they have a recovery system in place in the US, there’s none in other parts of the world.
– Tile probably best for when you leave things in the house or car but basically useless otherwise. Since it’s bluetooth activated, it doesn’t cover a lot of distance.
– According to my husband, he’s too young for the tile. This is probably best for those who are older and tend to forget everything. (Or is he in denial?)
Needless to say, the present was sent back.
I’m not saying the tile won’t be a good gift but before you hit the “buy” button, do pause and research a bit more. Unlike me, make sure it is something you or the person you are buying it for needs it. I still think it’s pretty cool.
Midlife Space 