Sounds interesting but if I read how it works correctly it seems like it might be fairly limited. From what I could gather, your phone (or someone else phone that also uses the service) needs to be within 50-150 feet of your "Tile" for it to update on the map. Without that, you're SOL. Of course, as they get more and more users it's ability to keep track of stuff will get better and better. But, with a range of only 50-150 feet it essentially means that in most cases for it to be an effective theft recovery device, the thief also needs to be using the service - unlikely.

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"Unless you have a ... GF who might put out that night and that night only ... skip it and race." - AndyPants 3-15-2007

Sounds interesting but the first thing I typically lose is my phone!

I bought a couple just for experimentation. The range is limited to the Bluetooth signal, and without a national network, the recognition of reported tiles through a strangers phone is quite limited. However, for $60 I am happy to support some young guys trying to think outside the box. Also, note that your card will be charged immediately, but the actual product is still a concept and will not ship if everything goes according to plan until early 2014.

I think the peer-to-peer concept of the network is pretty interesting, sort of 'faking' a cell network using BTLE, but agree that critical mass/chicken vs egg situation is a tough one to overcome. Not sure it will ever reach the saturation needed for a theft recovery service.

With more people using the app, do you guys see the tile as a viable solution? Are the competitor trackers any better? Any update from bike users?

look at trakdot.... mich better, used cell

I got in on the kickstarter campaign for this (I'm constantly loosing stuff).

The hole in this system is that you need someone else with the app near your lost item.

I lost my keys at our vets office. Despite there being 6 people working in the office, plus a constant ebb and flow of customers, and a wifi and cell network, the keys were never "found" by the tile because no one had the app.

That was a year ago, not sure how much bigger the network has gotten. If it's any indication, of the original 8 tiles I received I only used 1. Four I gave away, and I have 3 just siting in the packaging.

We have three Tiles and they're useful for keys, wallet, etc. As others mention the range is limited and definitely not worth relying on for bike safety. They're also large enough that they'd be very visible under a seat or almost anywhere else on a bike. I have a friend who puts them on her dogs, but a lot of people in her area use them (Tiles, not dogs....) and so her ability to get remote reports is pretty good.

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No, I don't use Tile if I want to track my bike. Although I heard that it can be extended by other tile users, if you don't have a lot of people around using tiles, you can only rely on yourself. In terms of volume, it is more appropriate to find the key or wallet from the messy room instead of tracking the bike. I use a mini tracking chip for bike with a SIM to track my bike and record my route.