So, you have the flights and accommodation booked already for that perfect Easter long weekend.
But have you ever stopped to think how easily all those best-laid plans would come unstuck if you lost your purse, keys, or heaven-forbid, your smartphone?
Before you hyperventilate with anxiety, you can relax – there is now an increasing array of gadgets on hand to ensure you never part with your most prized possessions ever again!
One of the most popular and best devices on the market is TrackR, (US$29 before shipping), which will reconnect you with almost anything you’ve held dear in a matter of seconds.
A small plastic disc called a Bravo connects to your phone over Bluetooth, and an app on your iOS or Android device lets you sound an alarm on the Bravo to track down whatever misplaced item you’ve attached to it.
The finding feature goes two ways: Press and hold a button on the TrackR Bravo itself, and your phone will sound an alarm.
If you’ve lost your phone, all you need to do is press the button on your TrackR bravo to ring your phone. (Thankfully, it still works if your phone is on silent.)
You can slip the TrackR inside a pocket of your suitcase, handbag or carry-on, so nobody will notice it’s there. The device will also send an alert to your phone if you’ve left something behind before you’ve gone too far. If you know your item is nearby, you can use your phone to press the ‘Ringer’ button on your lost item, and the TrackR device will ring to let you know where it is.
And if you’re far away from your missing item, TrackR’s Crowd GPS Network will show you its last location on a map.
Perhaps one of the best aspects of the TrackR is for the many millions of us that park our car somewhere….and forget exactly which level of the carpark we left our car. Looking for your car in crowded parking lots can be extremely annoying. But if you have a TrackR, you can keep it in your car and your smartphone will lead the way.
The slimline Tile Mate is another option worth checking out in the burgeoning ‘key-finder’ category.
It’s even slimmer, boasts an impressive range and you can pick one up at your local JB Hi-Fi for $39.95, at the time of writing.
