I have to admit something. Even before I had Tile, I rarely, if ever, would misplace my keys. So while my admiration of the platform that Tile has built has been vast, I haven’t had the opportunity to really utilize it as much as some have.
But now, with the release of the new Tile Slim, maybe I’ll have my chance.
The Tile Slim is Tile’s brand new, ridiculously thin, bluetooth tracker. It’s bigger than its keychain-bound cousins by quite a bit and it doesn’t have a hole in it, so you’re not going to find this dangling from anyone’s ignition. It is, however, ridiculously thin. It’s as tall as a credit card, but half the length, and is as thick at the edges as two cards stacked together. The Tile Slim is purpose-built to protect the one thing that you matters most to you when you’re out and about. Your wallet.
The Slim has a clean, patterned surface (which hopefully won’t get all that marred, since you won’t be removing it all that often). It’s nice looking enough that I almost feel bad shoving this down in the middle of my wallet. And that’s my only real caveat – if you use a minimalist wallet like I do (my standard carry is a Saddleback Sleeve Wallet in my front pocket), you’re going to have to sacrifice some real estate to the Slim. And when you put your cards back in, it’s going to take a bit of negotiation, since they’re only half-sized. But if you have a normal wallet or purse or backpack that you want to track – the Slim is exactly what you need.
The Tile app gets an update as well to accomodate the new features of the Slim. To differentiate between the Tile Slim and Tile original, the Slim gets four ringtones to choose from. Handy, since the volume isn’t quite as robust on the Slim (though I am shocked at how much volume they managed to squeeze into that package). A unique tune will make all the difference in tracking it down. The Slim benefits from the same crowd-sourced tracking as the Tile original. If you mark your Slim as lost, other Tile owners will help locate it by using their apps. No personal data is sent, other Tiler-ers don’t even know that they’re helping track your missing item. It’s a seamless process that can be a huge help when you’ve lost a Tile in a public place. The Slim participates in reTile, the same recycling program as the Tile original, so when the battery wears down (in about a year), the app will let you know it’s time to replace it at a discount and send you a prepaid mailer so that you can recycle your old Tile.
The Tile Slim is on sale now on the Tile website and will be available on Friday at retail locations. You can pre-order it today on Amazon for $30 for a single Slim or $100 for a four-pack. So if tracking your keys isn’t your thing, or you’ve been cramming Tile originals into your wallet (which you should really stop, it’s ruining the leather), the Tile Slim is exactly what you need to keep the rest of your stuff safe.
