With a child under two in the house and a second on the way, my focus is increasingly scattered and my ability to keep hold of things like my keys, my phone and my wallet is an ongoing issue.
The busier our lives get, the easier it is to misplace the essentials.
Item finders are the answer. I first had one, a Tile, about six or seven years ago that did the trick in helping me locate misplaced keys.
Chipolo, founded in 2013, offers a range of trackers, from card-shaped devices to go in your wallet, to the smaller "spot" options that attach to your keys.
There are a few different options that vary in price and size, some that require you to download a specific Chipolo app to use, and others that work on the iOS and Android "find my phone" features.
For the sake of my review, I am talking about the Chipolo One, which retails at $45 and requires the Chipolo app.
The Chipolo One comes in a range of colours but the bright yellow is the easiest to spot. (Image: Chipolo)
About the size of a $2 coin and bright yellow, the device was easy to attach to my set of keys and is incredibly lightweight. The bright yellow makes the keys pretty easy to spot with the naked eye, although other colours are available.
Setting up this device was incredibly easy. After downloading the app (requiring 80MB of space on an Android phone), I just had to squeeze the device and it immediately connected to the app – one of the quickest and smoothest Bluetooth pairings I’ve had.
The device can now be used to call my phone, my phone can call the device to find my keys, and the GPS function will also tell me where I last had my keys.
It's splashproof, too, the battery (which should last up to two years) can be changed, and very handy, you're able to set alerts if you walk away from your keys.
There is also the option to sync with voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Unfortunately, there was no option for an app on my Samsung Watch.
Comparative products start at $49.95 (Tile) and Apple Airtag ($59), so Chipolo, at present, is the cheapest option for a branded product.
However, this entry-level price does require the specific Chipolo app rather than users being able to integrate it with “find my phone”, which is not ideal.
Not being able to integrate the basic Chipolo One with native "find my" apps is a drawback. (Image: Chipolo)
I was notified by my contact at Chipolo that the Chipolo One tracker is not currently sold here because it's not compliant with NZ's law about coin cell batteries, but I notice retailers such as Harvey Norman and Noel Leeming are selling other Chipolo trackers.
The Chipolo company is working to make sure that all future products will meet our new standards.
The Chipolo One I reviewed is a great device with a reasonable entry-level price that works as intended with the app.
Not being able to integrate it with native "find my" apps is a bit of a drawback, but functionality is reasonable for the price and it could become a helpful new addition to our busy lives – once it finally becomes available here.
