Through personal application use and the tile community, Tile Mate helps you to keep track of your things.

Have you ever lost your keys, or set your phone down and swore it was right there?  I sometimes think that there are phone and key gnomes that move your stuff when you are not looking.  Whether you have lost your keys, your wallet, your phone, your remote, etc., you have experienced that ire-inducing feeling of loss.  Tile has introduced new gear for 2017, to help you keep track of your stuff.  This year, they have added the Tile Mate a 1×1 inch square with built-in keychain.

The tile is a white plastic square with rounded edges. In the center, is a gray half inch circular button, containing the word Tile.  At first, you may think that this is just a design element of the device.  However, if you press the gray button you will hear a fun little jingle. Open up the Tile app on your device.  If it is the first time that you have used the app, you will have no listed tiles.  If you have used the app previously, you will see a list of your available tiles down the middle of the screen.  Along the top left of the app is a plus sign.  To add a new tile, you need only select the plus icon and follow the instructions.

After pressing the “+”, you will be instructed to set the Tile by your phone for pairing. This process will take only a few seconds and now your device will be listed down the middle of the app.  Within the app, you can select a tile and it will take you to the specific page for the device.  You can learn tips, you can also touch the options tab to find the following options: view on map, share with, details, help.  If you select details, you can change the ringtone (I like Bionic Birdie), you can change the photo for quick memory, change the category or select replace tile (more on this below).  ON the tip screen, I learned about one of my favorite features of the Tile Mate.  If you press the small E on the Tile twice, it will make your phone ring. This will occur no matter if your phone is on ring or on silent.

Once connected all you need to do to find your item is to navigate to the Tile app, select the appropriate Tile and you will hear the jingle from the tile. You can change the jingle within the application, as discussed above.  The IOS system actually has a shortcut, which will help you to get to the Tile faster.  Simply swipe down from the middle of the screen and type ’tile’ into the search bar.  This will bring up a list of your tile buttons.   You can press these to rapidly take you to the actual Tile page within the app.  This process will save you some time by bypassing the main Tile page and take you specifically to the exact tile that you want to find.  It is incredibly convenient that you can add a photo of the item the tile is attached to, such as your remote or your keys etc. You can also tell they app what the item is that you’re trying to track. If interested, you can actually purchase adhesives from thetileapp.com.  However, I found that command strips tend to work just as well.

I am not a huge fan of the short one-year battery life of the Tile, but their renewal program is actually quite reasonable. If you were not aware, the Tile purposefully has a nonreplaceable battery, to make it easier for the end-user. Using the re-tile program, you will be sent a reminder when your device is nearing the time for a replacement. You can order the latest Tiles, those that use the latest and greatest technology, for a markedly reduced price.  This is much superior to buying them again at the new cost.  When you receive your Re-Tile envelope, simply mail the old tile back into the team, and they will recycle it for you.

I’m actually looking forward to the Tile slim (fits in your wallet).  I have placed the Tile mate into my wallet and I would love to see how much different the slim is compared to the Tile Mate.  Beyond the stand alone Tile devices, tile is doing some really neat partnering.  I am really excited about integrated tiles. Nomad has a fantastic portable battery with built-in tile technology. This helps you to find the battery if lost.  However, this also helps the battery life of the tile device.  It is as easy to set up as the Tile Mate and it is not an extra piece to add onto the tech.  When it comes to tracking items, tile really does a great job.  I am really pleased with the Nomad battery and feel that the partnership between Nomad’s battery Tile is a beautiful harmony.

I have been very happy with the Tile Mate and would rate it at 5/5 stars.  It has done everything the packaging supported.

To learn more, visit them at thetileapp.com.
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