Tag Archives: tracker

Life360 launches the smallest Tile Bluetooth Tracker and its longest-range option

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Bluetooth trackers save us the drama of lost and stolen stuff. This notion is the mainstay of Life360 – which after its acquisition by AirTag competitor Tile – has for the first time announced a consortium of Tile Bluetooth trackers. These come with a range of new features including longer track range, SOS button, and a louder alert sound.

Life360 has designed the Tile Bluetooth trackers to help families keep track of their everyday items and valuable belongings using its dedicated app, comprehensive ecosystem, and enhanced location sharing capabilities. Put the ring on your things, pets, or even people (who may need it) and sheet them in an extra layer of security that the entire family unit can have access to right on their smartphone.

Designer: Life360

The main highlight of the Life360 Tile Bluetooth trackers is a multifunction button on them that on the push sends an SOS alert in emergency situations. In addition to this, the new Tile Bluetooth trackers offer enhanced integration with the Life360 app, which allows the users to bring everything and everyone in their family circle in one place, the Life360 Map. This is possible by linking the Tile account and Life360 and the entire circle sees your Tiles and finds lost, misplaced items quickly and effortlessly. The dedicated app is compatible with both Android and Apple ecosystems.

The SOS button on the Tile tracker, when pressed three times, triggers a Life360 SOS alert. When this happens, a notification is sent out with the user’s location to the designated emergency contacts. Even though many add-on features are subscription only, ‘SOS alerts are free for all Life360 users.’ The new Tile lineup features four new models that are sleeker in design, and arrive in as many new colors: green, pink, aqua blue, and navy blue.

The four models comprise Tile Mate, Tile Pro, Tile Slim and Tile Stricker. With a built-in keyring, the Tile Mate comes for $24.99 and is ideal for keeping track of keys, backpacks, lunchboxes and purses. The Tile Slim, as the name implies is the slimmest of the four trackers. At $29.99 it is apt for slipping into wallets, passport holders, and luggage. $24.99 Tile Sticker is the smallest Bluetooth tracker on the market and the Title Pro with its sticker price of $34.99 is the most powerful. It has the loudest ring and longest range in the Tile trackers, and can keep track of all kinds of items you may choose. Tile Mate, Slim, and Sticker trackers are now available, while the Tile Pro will be available starting in October.

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Paper clip-shaped device concept helps develop habits by tracking activities

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We have all these fancy hi-tech trackers today that monitor our health and our activities, ranging from simple fitness trackers to complex smartwatches. While these activities might be important on their own, they’re often made in some context like forming good habits. Unfortunately, these devices and their connected apps often simply log physical activities and states and file them under the category of healthy living. Trackers don’t take into account activities like reading a book, drinking water regularly, and things that a smartwatch can’t really monitor. That’s what this tracker design concept is trying to address, and it takes its inspiration from one of the most common things we attach to other objects: the classic paper clip.

Designer: Andrea Mangone

Although it does have “paper” on its name, we often see a paper clip attached to other objects, even those thick enough to bend the metal clip. The tool serves not only to put two things together but, more often than not, as a reminder to do something at a later time. Likewise, this activity tracker that takes the form of a large paper clip serves as a reminder to do the activity related to the object they’re attached to, and it actually tracks whether you did that or not automatically.

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Named after a popular daily journaling app, the DAY ONE tracker combines the functionality of physical activity trackers with the behavior-forming features of habit-tracking apps in a simple yet pleasing design. In essence, you set one such clip-like tracker on a base accessory that’s connected to a smartphone, assign that tracker to a particular habit you want to build, and then attach it to the physical object associated with the habit, like running shoes, a book, or a water bottle. Whenever you pick up and use one of these items, their activity will be detected and registered on the app, sort of like checking a box to indicate that you’ve done that habit for the day.

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The trick to ONE DAY is to clip it to objects that you use for that habit. This is where the paper clip design comes in handy as it allows the tracker to be attached to almost anything, regardless of the thickness. If it’s thin like a paper or a page of a book, you can simply slip it in like a regular paper clip. For something thicker like a tablet or a yoga mat, you use its longer side to attach to the object’s edge. Or you can simply hook it to a carabiner or loop, though that seems to also risk having it move around and drop accidentally.

DAY ONE is an interesting idea for giving more relevant contexts to activity trackers, making them relevant beyond exercise and physical activities. It still requires the person to exercise some willpower to actually put those into action, but the clips at least serve as a very visible reminder of what they need to pick up to develop the habit. That said, the paper clip design is a bit too bulky for something that might need to squeeze into tight spaces, and it could end up getting dislodged and lost somewhere along the way.

The post Paper clip-shaped device concept helps develop habits by tracking activities first appeared on Yanko Design.

Paper clip-shaped device concept helps develop habits by tracking activities

Posted on by

We have all these fancy hi-tech trackers today that monitor our health and our activities, ranging from simple fitness trackers to complex smartwatches. While these activities might be important on their own, they’re often made in some context like forming good habits. Unfortunately, these devices and their connected apps often simply log physical activities and states and file them under the category of healthy living. Trackers don’t take into account activities like reading a book, drinking water regularly, and things that a smartwatch can’t really monitor. That’s what this tracker design concept is trying to address, and it takes its inspiration from one of the most common things we attach to other objects: the classic paper clip.

Designer: Andrea Mangone

Although it does have “paper” on its name, we often see a paper clip attached to other objects, even those thick enough to bend the metal clip. The tool serves not only to put two things together but, more often than not, as a reminder to do something at a later time. Likewise, this activity tracker that takes the form of a large paper clip serves as a reminder to do the activity related to the object they’re attached to, and it actually tracks whether you did that or not automatically.

1

Named after a popular daily journaling app, the DAY ONE tracker combines the functionality of physical activity trackers with the behavior-forming features of habit-tracking apps in a simple yet pleasing design. In essence, you set one such clip-like tracker on a base accessory that’s connected to a smartphone, assign that tracker to a particular habit you want to build, and then attach it to the physical object associated with the habit, like running shoes, a book, or a water bottle. Whenever you pick up and use one of these items, their activity will be detected and registered on the app, sort of like checking a box to indicate that you’ve done that habit for the day.

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The trick to ONE DAY is to clip it to objects that you use for that habit. This is where the paper clip design comes in handy as it allows the tracker to be attached to almost anything, regardless of the thickness. If it’s thin like a paper or a page of a book, you can simply slip it in like a regular paper clip. For something thicker like a tablet or a yoga mat, you use its longer side to attach to the object’s edge. Or you can simply hook it to a carabiner or loop, though that seems to also risk having it move around and drop accidentally.

DAY ONE is an interesting idea for giving more relevant contexts to activity trackers, making them relevant beyond exercise and physical activities. It still requires the person to exercise some willpower to actually put those into action, but the clips at least serve as a very visible reminder of what they need to pick up to develop the habit. That said, the paper clip design is a bit too bulky for something that might need to squeeze into tight spaces, and it could end up getting dislodged and lost somewhere along the way.

The post Paper clip-shaped device concept helps develop habits by tracking activities first appeared on Yanko Design.

Pebblebee trackers can find items with the new Google Find My Device network

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Although Bluetooth item trackers existed long before, Apple really took things up a notch with the AirTags. Of course, what made these small discs really valuable wasn’t just their minimalist design but their use of Apple’s crowd-sourced Find My network. This system basically utilized the large number of iOS devices spread throughout the world to pinpoint the tracker’s location accurately and quickly. It was a long time coming, but Google finally launched its own version of that network, unsurprisingly dubbed “Find My Device,” and soon Android phone owners will also be able to locate lost wallets, misplaced remote controls, stolen bags, or any other items with these upcoming “item finders” designed for every need and purpose.

Designer: Pebblebee

It’s almost a meme about how remote controls tend to get sucked into the black hole that is the living room couch, but having no way to control a TV or entertainment system is no laughing matter. The new Pebblebee Tag for Android makes that problem a thing of the past by letting you stick a thin 40mm x 26mm (1.57in x 1.02in) black rectangle on the remote so that you can easily locate it later, even if it’s buried under cushions and pillows. Given its small size, it’s also trivial to slip this tracker in pockets, bags, and suitcases so that you’ll never accidentally forget them in the coffee shop ever again.

That Tag might be a tad too thick for your wallet, but the Pebblebee Card has you covered on that front. No larger than a credit card, this 2.8mm (0.11in) super-thin tracker promises to save you from the stress and fear of losing one of the most important objects in your life. And just like the Tag, it can be easily used for bags, laptop sleeves, and other slim spaces to give you that same peace of mind.

Keys are also often misplaced even at home, turning late mornings into frantic searchers for the small objects that give access to the car or, worse, the door. With a whole that’s perfect for a keyring or carabiner, the Pebblebee Clip makes sure that no item will ever be permanently lost. That includes anything with a hook, a zipper, or a hole that this small circle can attach to without getting in your way, like suitcase zippers or handles, bag straps, and bicycle handlebars.

All three Pebblebee trackers can be charged wirelessly and their batteries can last from 8 to 18 months before you actually need to put it down on the magnetic wireless charger again. With a bright LED and a loud melody, you can easily pinpoint the tracker’s location if it’s nearby, while Google’s new Find My Device network gives you global coverage if it is out of the 300ft Bluetooth range. All trackers are IPX6 water resistant, so you don’t have worry to too much about exposing them to the weather, and their minimalist design makes them fit with almost any object. The trackers also work with Pebblebee’s own mobile app, though they aren’t compatible with Apple’s Find My system.

The post Pebblebee trackers can find items with the new Google Find My Device network first appeared on Yanko Design.

The AirTag Gets Tough Competition from This Razor Slim Credit-Card-Sized Tracker with Apple Find My

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What I find disappointing about the AirTag is that it’s the one recent product Apple truly needs to redesign, but hasn’t in the past two years. The Watch, AirPods, iPhone, iPad, and MacBook have ALL seen upgrades over the last two years, but the AirTag is still a thick, bulky coin-shaped device that you can’t fit into your wallet or your cardholder. The AirTag’s strange shape makes it oddly bulky, allowing third-party makers to design better tracking devices instead. Designed to be the same size as a credit card, the Slimca HERE offers a perfectly slick alternative to Apple’s own tracking device. It’s razor-thin, making it easy to slide into wallets, has global tracking, a left-behind reminder, a built-in speaker, and works over Apple’s Find My network.

Designers: Jerry Lin & Hironari Minami

Click Here to Buy Now: $31 $56 (44% off). Hurry, only 15/485 left!

Super slim profile that fits into your wallet easily.

Specially designed ultra-slim USB-C charging cable.

The Slimca HERE has quite a few things working for it, the most important one being its 0.9-millimeter thick design (that’s 0.0354 inches, for you metric nay-sayers). That feature alone puts the Slimca HERE as the thinnest Apple Find My-compatible tracking device ever made, outshining card-shaped trackers from Chipolo and Tile, while still being USB-C rechargeable. The entire tracker has a flexible design, allowing it to easily fit into most traditional bifold wallets and even giving it a gentle amount of flexibility so it can take on any slight bending that comes from day-to-day use. The Slimca HERE’s card-shaped design means it slides into card holders, lanyards, pockets, backpacks, purses, and other slim slots too, offering nearly all the features of an AirTag but in a razor-thin design.

Real-time updates via Apple FindMy for precise tracking, ensuring stability and regular updates.

Like most trackers, the Slimca HERE works globally, offering real-time tracking right within the Apple Find My application. Add it as a device on your Find My network, and you can see its position anywhere across the globe, thanks to its Airgain antenna that offers remarkable wireless connectivity. Aside from being able to spot the tracking device on a map, you can even remotely trigger it to play an alarm, helping you find it faster. Dual-speakers in the card help fire loud 105dB audio in 360°, helping you locate the tracker through sound when it’s in the vicinity. A left-behind reminder allows the Slimca HERE to directly ping your phone if you accidentally leave it behind (or if it stops being within proximity of your smartphone), and if someone’s Slimca HERE makes it into your belongings or personal space for more than 1-3 days, it notifies you to let you know that you’re being tracked.

A common trade-off with slim tracking devices is the lack of proper battery charging procedures. The AirTag itself comes with a replaceable battery, but the CR2032 batter is thicker than the Slimca HERE tracking device itself! Most other trackers just have their own lithium-ion battery that’s hermetically sealed within, making the entire product disposable in the long run, but the Slimca HERE has a rather clever workaround. It sports a pretty bare-basic USB-C port, hidden behind a removable metal cap. Plug a cable into the port and you can now recharge your tracker, giving it 5 months of use on a full charge. A power button lets you turn on/off the tracker too, helping conserve its battery.

The Slimca HERE comes crafted from 304 Stainless Steel, one of the most preferred alloys used in gadgets and wearables. It comes with a golden-plated back that gives it an almost premium credit card-like appeal, while a cutout lets you easily string a lanyard directly to the card in case you don’t want to put it in a wallet. The Slimca HERE is designed to be IP64 dust and water-resistant, and comes with a 1-year warranty. It sports a competitive $31 price tag and ships globally starting January 2024.

Click Here to Buy Now: $31 $56 (44% off). Hurry, only 15/485 left!

The post The AirTag Gets Tough Competition from This Razor Slim Credit-Card-Sized Tracker with Apple Find My first appeared on Yanko Design.

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 design brings many quality-of-life improvements

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Humans seem to have an innate talent for losing things, especially keys and remote controls. There have been various attempts to help improve remembering such objects, but, truth be told, not everyone has the capacity or the patience to learn those tricks. Thankfully, we have technology at our disposal to help nudge us when we’re about to leave something behind unintentionally, or, in the worst-case scenario, recover something we have lost. Object trackers have existed since the time of Tile and were recently popularized by the Apple AirTag. The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag introduced a design that solved those two’s biggest shortcoming, and its second-gen tracker takes things to the next level with an upgrade and, more importantly, an important redesign.

Designer: Samsung

The earliest trackers from Tile as well as the AirTags tried to be as small as possible so you could insert them anywhere. The problem was that they had no built-in way to attach to things like keys, bags, umbrellas, and more. You’d end up having to place them inside tracker holders or other accessories that you had to purchase separately, just so that they could track the very things that get lost or misplaced most often. Samsung’s first stab at this market put a tiny hole just enough to slip in a key ring without having to buy another product.

Now the Galaxy SmartTag2 arrives with a completely new look that sets aside the traditional square and circle designs of most trackers. It comes as a small flat capsule with a very large hole that occupies almost half of its body. This ring has a metal lining to improve its durability, given how it would experience a lot of wear and tear from the ring it holds. The tracker is now also IP67 rated, up from the previous generation’s basic IP53.

What this significant design change means is that the Galaxy SmartTag2 is now more flexible, durable, and reliable. You can attach it to more things, including carabiners and pet collars. It can also withstand more environments and weather conditions, which makes it more usable in various scenarios, like pet care, outdoor equipment management, and more.

The Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 also gets some hardware upgrades, particularly the combination of Bluetooth and UWB to make locating the tracker easier and more precise. This also removes the need to have separate “Base” and “Plus” models, so buyers won’t have a hard time choosing between features. It’s a much-needed upgrade, considering it has been two years since the first-gen SmartTag launched, and one that Samsung hopes will put it on the map when it comes to these wireless trackers.

The post Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 design brings many quality-of-life improvements first appeared on Yanko Design.

Minimal pet tracker lets you keep an eye on your fur babies at home

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I am not a pet person (fishes are the closest thing I’ve come to having pets) but I’m around a lot of cat and dog people to know something about them. One constant thing I hear is that it’s pretty hard for them to leave their furry kids at home. Sure, the pets will probably survive the whole day just staying at home without their fur parents, but there’s the ever-present worry of whether they’re eating well, sleeping, or doing the other habits that you want them to maintain.

Designer: Zeynep Emiroğlu

This concept for a pet tracker may help ease those worries and make sure that your pets are well and safe while you’re away during the day or for a longer period of time. It looks pretty much like a regular dog or cat collar but is able to do more than just be an identification for your fur baby. It’s more like an activity tracker but instead of telling you how many steps you’ve taken, it gives you insight into your pet’s activity. It is partnered with the PawMate Beacon which you place in certain areas to help in activity tracking.

The PawMate has a rubber attachment and a silicone cover which makes it not so uncomfortable for your pet to wear the whole day. It has LED lights that tell you when it needs charging or when it’s fully juiced. The Beacons meanwhile are placed in areas like where they eat or where they play or near doors or windows so you’ll have an approximation of what activities they are currently doing. There’s an accompanying app that lets you enter your pet details and gives you stats and insights as well as real-time data.

This might seem overkill for some but those who think that may not be pet owners or haven’t experienced the anxiety of having a pet at home. It’s a pretty neat concept that doesn’t seem to be too much of an annoyance for aforementioned pets, at least on paper. Now whether they will be able to keep it on the entire time is another matter altogether.

The post Minimal pet tracker lets you keep an eye on your fur babies at home first appeared on Yanko Design.

This game-changing backpack integrates Apple Find My for your peace of mind

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It’s no longer unusual for people to carry laptops in their bags, whether they sling them over their backs or hang them over their shoulders. Most of these people probably don’t give a second thought to the overall design of these bags, focusing simply on how they look to make a good impression in public. The novelty of appearances, however, easily wears off once discomfort and inconvenience creep in, often leading to buyer’s remorse. Even worse is the horror of realizing that your bag may have been stolen or left behind somewhere, including your precious laptop and other properties. With a new trend in people’s lifestyles, it is high time for accessories such as bags to get an upgrade in order to better serve their owners. That’s exactly what the HyperPack Pro brings to the table, offering not only smart charging pass-throughs and battery pack pockets, but also security and peace of mind to modern-day workers and creatives.

Designer: HYPER

Click Here to Buy Now: $120 $200 (40% off). Hurry, less than 72 hours left!

Many backpacks today have a pocket for laptops, but these are often designed so simplistically and flimsily that they offer nothing more than just a thin separator between the laptop and everything else in the bag. Those that do have proper compartments for these computers, however, tend to neglect the other things you might want to carry with you. Some even neglect the wearer itself, forgetting that the humans carrying the bag on their backs might be even more fragile than what the bag contains.

Locate your HyperPack Pro from anywhere using Hyper’s built-in Apple® Find My™ Compatible Location Module.

Enter the HyperPack Pro with Apple Find My compatibility, a traveling partner designed for the needs of today’s on-the-go professionals. Of course, there’s a dedicated pocket big enough for a 16-inch laptop, and its soft suspended design protects your precious laptop not just from scratches but also from dents. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though, because the HyperPack Pro has so much more to offer, both inside and outside.

Strategic Charging Pockets & Passthroughs

Secure Interlocking Zippers

Water-resistant 1260D Cordura and YKK Aquaguard Zippers

With its 22L capacity, there’s plenty of room for everything you need in a day, and there is even a dedicated place for credit cards and passports inside the internal RFID Theft Protection Pocket. A hidden lumbar pocket also lets you easily stash and access critical items like cash, passports, keys, and the like. There’s a 1L water bottle pocket at the side to help keep you hydrated while preventing accidental spills inside. HYPER also uses the strategic placement of charging pockets and cable pass-throughs so that you can easily top up your gadgets without having them jumble around inside the bag’s spacious interior.

The HyperPack Pro’s signature feature, however, is in the other half of its name. Rather than having to fiddle with a third-party gadget or accessory, this innovative backpack has built-in support for Apple’s Find My network, allowing you to more easily locate the bag if you happen to lose it for one reason or another. They say prevention is better than cure, and the HyperPack Pro follows that adage by instantly alerting you if you stray too far from your bag or vice versa. Even better, that built-in tracker is powered by a replaceable CR2032, so you won’t have to worry about “recharging the bag” regularly.

All of these features are packed in a backpack that’s designed not only for convenience but also for security and comfort. Interlocking zippers will keep thieves off your back, literally and figuratively, while the YKK water-resistant zippers and a weather-resistant 1260D Cordura Nylon exterior protect it from unexpected rains and spills. Last but definitely not least, the triple-padded AirFlow System promises maximum support while letting your back remain cool, no matter the load. For only $120, the HyperPack Pro with Apple Find My compatibility definitely feels like a steal that easily pays for itself with the security and power that it offers.

Click Here to Buy Now: $120 $200 (40% off). Hurry, less than 72 hours left!

The post This game-changing backpack integrates Apple Find My for your peace of mind first appeared on Yanko Design.

Your Apple AirTag meets a drill to create a keyring hole with in thrilling DIY!

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Apple has put a lot of effort into designing the round-shaped AirTag, and it shows in the compactness of size. The tracker manages to fit in the UWB (Ultra-Wide Band connectivity module) version in such a small space that’s barely bigger than the battery fitted inside. Compare that to the Tile Mate or Galaxy SmartTag, and you already know which one is more practical. The small footprint and chip-like thickness of the AirTag make them ideal for real-life usage, and it doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket – as another advantage. Apple AirTag though has one chink in the armor. It doesn’t come with a keyring hole, and that’s frustrating, to say the least. The only way to use it as a cling-on tracker for your keys or other things is to buy an extra peripheral. Or is there a way to get around it?

As teardown pros iFixit got down to opening the latest Apple accessory – that’s making all the news – they decided to drill a hole in the AirTag itself. To make it keychain-ready, like the competition, they carefully drilled a punch hole on top of the tracker using a 1/16” drill bit. Surprisingly, the AirTag survived the operation without any functional dystrophy, post the drilling bit. Even the sound profile didn’t change much, so the accessory is as good as out of the box. Yes, it does have a keychain hole now!

iFixit demonstrates how to precisely drill between the notches in the circuit board to avoid puncturing any circuitry and make the tracker non-usable. Removing the battery is another thing that needs to be done without fail before venturing out if you do want to try this DIY to create a loophole in your tag. It should be noted, even if you manage to replicate iFixit’s feat, it will certainly void the accessory’s warranty. Opening up the battery housing isn’t as easy as the other two trackers, and requires some effort and a steady hand. So do keep noted about the facts.

Designer: iFixit

Drilling a hole in the AirTag demands a steady hand, and only venture out if you know what you’re doing. Else, this could turn out into an ugly misadventure.

Cute little tracker the size of a half-dollar coin. The only thing that is a deal-breaker is the absence of a keyring hole.

The compact size of the Apple tracker took a considerable amount of R&D to arrive at the final, commercially available form factor. That’s how precise the design process was in refining the final product!

The circuitry and the battery fit snug into place, making perfect use of the small space inside. However, it is not an easy task opening the AirTag as compared to the competition.

It’s better in looks and functionality for real-life usage due to the small footprint and the round shape. Just imagine the scenarios you can put the tracker to use.

The Tile Mate has a square shape while Galaxy SmartTag goes for a rounded off squarish-shape. While they both are bigger than the AirTag, Apple’s tracker is more aesthetically designed.

The circuit board and the magnet on the AirTag make it more or less opaque to the X-rays. The image here gives a very good idea of the space you’re left with to drill the hole.

Make no mistake, the AirTag is not as easy to open as the other two trackers in question.

So, are you ready to take the risk, and put your AirTag on the line for the sake of convenience and saving a few dollars?