Tile Keeps Track of the Stuff You Lose

Tired of losing your keys or other important objects? You could always check out Tile, especially now that the makers of the popular location-tracking dongle have upgraded to a new second-generation version. The new version is still called Tile and it's the same size. But comes with a few new features designed to help you track down missing items. First, Tile will now emit a noise that's approximately three times as loud as the first-generation device. So, suppose you can't find your car keys (that have said Tile attached to them). Since you've already paired it to your iOS or Android device, you pull up the app on your smartphone and tap a button, which will cause your tile to emit a loud noise if your keys are within range. Simple as that.

If you have your keys but not your phone, meanwhile, you can tap your Tile to cause your smartphone to emit a noise. Tile has updated its Web app to allow you to start hunting for your phone or Tile dongle that way as well. A new crowd-sourced search feature will also conscript other Tile users to help hunt for your Tile-linked smartphone (or Tile dongle), if you can't find them. If someone in the Tile community detects that your device is near them, you'll get a notification as to where it might be. The user who helped you won't have any idea that they played any part in your hunt—so, no, they aren't going to find your smartphone or keys before you get to them (at least, not because they also use Tile).