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New find everything tech will locate anything you lose and could one day shutdown the lost & found department. I’m that guy. The one who puts his keys in one spot, the phone in another and my wallet even somewhere else. I spend more time trying to pin down where my worldly possessions are located than any reasonable person should. And now I’m testing 5 ways to find what goes missing.

Tile bluetooth tags

These tiny white tags are called Tiles that you stick or attach to your belongings such as keys, wallet, phone, handbag, laptop, bike…you name it. Tile uses Bluetooth to connect to the Tile app where you can see where your stuff is located.

If your missing item goes further away from you than the approximate 100 foot range, the Tile discretely shares its location on a map when it encounters another person using the Tile app. The first Tile is priced at $25, four for $70, $130 gets you eight and $180 for a dozen Tiles. https://www.thetileapp.com/

 

TrakDot Luggage Finder

One of the most disappointing travel experiences is finding yourself standing in line at an airline’s baggage office describing what your missing luggage looks like. https://www.trakdot.com/en

While airlines do a better job today actively scanning checked bags at points along your journey, there is nothing better than putting the power of position in your hands.

TrakDot is a small tracking device designed to be turned on and placed inside your luggage. It connects to a mobile wireless GSM network sending you a text when it arrives at your destination. And if it is routed the wrong way, you will still get notified when it comes in cell range and shows you its location on a map. $50 for TrakDot; $20 for first year of service.

PointX app

iOS, Android $3 pro, lite version free
This works a little differently than most “find it” apps. The perfect purpose for this is remembering where you parked your car but you could also use it to help a friend find you.

Here’s how it works. You drive into the mall or any large parking lot, take a photo of your car with the PointX app which stamps your current position using GPS and the compass built into your smartphone.

You launch the app when returning to your car and it will show you a blip on the radar screen made for James Bond. Follow the blip back to your missing car just like 007 might.

Find My iPhone (iOS) and Android Device Manager (Android) are some of the best free built-in apps for finding your phone.

The only trick is that it won’t work if you don’t enable it first. Make sure yours is turned on if you want to be able to track down your missing smartphone later.

The Find My iPhone feature that let me make the iPhone beep loudly is the only reason I was able to recover it buried deep in an airline seat. But, hey losing stuff is nothing new for me, finding missing possessions on the other hand is a whole new world of wonderful.