Track lost valuables with Chipolo – Nokia Treasure Tag Alternative – Available on WindowsPhone

There are multiple devices like the Nokia Treasure Tag (and mini) that does the whole ‘find your item’ thing with your smartphone. Oddly, I noticed a video of a kickstarter trying to do exactly the same thing as already established devices without offering anything new. Why? I don’t know.

Anyway, since finding out that Treasure Tag Mini wasn’t for me, I wanted to find alternatives. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go the treasure tag route again (even though the original had the features I was looking for and did not realise the mini did not have). A friend recommended some alternatives but it was iOS/Android only.

The video below talks about crowd funding for Chipolo. No need to make large investments – these are already on Amazon (£26GBP).

It seems nice and small, it has a speaker so it can bleep to find your lost item, and it can reverse find your smartphone if you shake it. All the important basics covered. It comes in 9 colours and for some reason has a temperature sensor.

Here’s an odd way to wear it – as an earing. I guess it’s small enough to place as a cat tag too. However, since it’s activated by shaking, the cat could then make your phone constantly bleep. Fortunately (or not), in the unboxing video (not the promo) it doesn’t work that well.

Like treasure tag, when you of range you get a map. It can even give an approximate distance (other devices like these have a ‘signal strength’ to show where the stronger signal is to find it). The sound will do the same thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFvAh2ivI5I

Here’s an unboxing video.

Interestingly the guy above mentions using this on pets. True, it won’t be useful for pets that leave the house. House cats however (Especially in big houses) these would be quite useful (ours has disappeared for a couple of hours at a time). It’s nice to know that a) he’s still in the house b) where in the house he might be. The treasure tag mini did not fit the bill for this (and I think the treasure tag original’s main downside was how it can easily slip out of the rubber casing).

Cheers Carl for the tip!

Category: Accessories