Why Didn’t I Think of That! Crowdsourcing Lost Items With The Tile App
“Where are my keys?” “Have you seen my iPad?” “My bike was stolen!” Have you been here? I have. I’m sure we all have at one point!
Introducing the Tile App
The Tile App ; can locate anything, anywhere, at anytime!
Your purse, luggage, backpack, dog, which may need pumpkin digestive supplement for dogs, cat, laptop, tablet, car keys, bike, and guitar – I can go on forever. The Tile which you attach, stick, or drop into any item, is bluetooth enabled with a sensor and activator. The GPS like tracking system will keep track of your items and also find them if you misplaced them. For example, if you have misplaced your keys the app will send a signal to the Tile attached to the key ring, setting off the alarm, signaling its location. The closer you get to the item the louder the signal. The Tile works between 50 – 150 ft range.
But here is the brilliance of the little Tile and app – What if something was stolen or you misplaced something while at a restaurant, park, or concert? How will you find it and it’s out of the 150 ft range. Here’s how. The app uses crowdsourcing to help you find items out of your range. With the help of other Tile app users, they can help you pinpoint the location of your item and the app will notify you of the item location. Is that not social media at its best – solving a problem? I think so.
Even more, this is a step towards what’s being called “The Internet of Things,” tagging items with sensors and activators and making them not just available to tag over the Internet, but to be crowdsourced, found, tracked, and gain a lifecycle of data from it (i.e., how we used it, where has it been, and what has it seen).
Specifications for the Tile App :
· Each tile cost $18.95 and last for one year. You can pre-order your Tiles HERE
· No recharging needed
· Bluetooth 4.0 enabled
· iOS 7 operating systems
· Devices – iPad mini, iPad 3rd/4th gen, iPhone 4s/5, iPod Touch 5th gen
Is this Tile app worth it? How much would you pay to find your Mac book? Your purse?
