## Does it take you forever to get out of the house when it's time to go?
### [Tile](https://www.thetileapp.com/) is for people like me, who can't seem to keep their shit together.
<center>http://i.imgur.com/vjBALep.jpg</center>

Recently I took a trip to Amsterdam which I blogged about [here](https://steemit.com/travel/@beanz/commuting-in-amsterdam), [here](https://steemit.com/travel/@beanz/cycling-in-amsterdam), [here](https://steemit.com/fashion/@beanz/shopping-in-amsterdam) and [here](https://steemit.com/travel/@beanz/loving-amsterdam).  As I left the house to catch the bus to the airport I realised I had brought my car keys.
### "I'm not going to need those and I'll probably lose them by bringing them!" I thought.
But if I had turned back then I would have probably missed the bus so I carried on.

I have no idea when or where but a week later, the morning after I got back home I realised I had indeed lost my keys.
# :'(

After calling the bus company, the local garda station, the airport lost and found, the place I had stayed in and even some of the pubs I had visited in Amsterdam, I eventually had to pay €150 to get a new car key cut as I was too stubborn to have a spare one cut months ago.

*I still haven't got a spare cut (and I probably should) but what I do have now that just arrived today is*
# <center>Tile</center>
<center>http://i.imgur.com/2i6xkD9.jpg</center>

Tile is a gadget that you attach to your most treasured (or misplacable) possessions, such as your car keys or your purse or wallet.

<center>http://i.imgur.com/lwvXnzM.jpg</center>

There is also a [Slim Tile](https://www.thetileapp.com/store/tiles/slim) now available, but when I bought mine just last week, I purchased the original.  You can choose between 1-pack, 4-pack, or 8-pack depending on your personal needs.  I paid $75 for a 4 pack that also included a 3-pack of adhesives for sticking the tile if needed.

<center>http://i.imgur.com/qlA7FH9.jpg</center>

## So lets put the Tile to the test!
The first thing that I had to do was install the app onto my phone ([from the apple store](https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/tile-find-track-your-lost/id664939913?mt=8) or [for android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thetileapp.tile&hl=en)) and register an account through my email.

Next I took out one of my new tiles and following the instructions on the app, I clicked + to add a tile and the bluetooth picked it up.  I was then able to name my tile.
### ..I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy!
<center>http://i.imgur.com/3cpDrgt.jpg</center>

So with the Tile in my handbag, which is the item I wish to be able to find, I left the room to test if it would work.  Simply click find and it starts to ring!
# Lets try it from farther away!
From upstairs I did the same thing again...  Oops...  It's not ringing.  Instead it says "walk around".
So I walked around until the little circle went green and then clicked find.  And it rings from downstairs!
# What if I lose my phone?!
All I have to do to find my phone is double-click the **'e'** at the corner of the Tile and even if my phone is on silent it rings!
**BUT**
When I switch Bluetooth off on my phone...  It won't work.  Luckily Bluetooth doesn't use a whole lot of battery on the phone unless you are using it to stream music but I have yet to see if this is going to cause problems for me.
# Lets test it again
I switched off my bluetooth and took my freshly Tiled car keys and moved them to another room.  Again, the app does not work without the Bluetooth on.  When I switch the Bluetooth back on, it takes a few seconds to find the location again, but it finds it!
<center>http://i.imgur.com/U3XIhHN.jpg</center>

For me, somebody who is always late and has no excuse apart from *"I couldn't find my keys and when I finally found them I had lost my handbag and then I lost my keys again and I got locked in the house and then I got stuck driving behind a tractor, and a Tyrannosaurus Rex gave me a flat tyre and....bla bla bla"* so if these new tiles can help me with that then that's all I need!

But the other great thing about **Tile** is the [Community Find](https://www.thetileapp.com/community-find) feature which connects you with any other Tile users who are within range of your lost item!
### So if you're somebody like me who loses things easily, you and I could potentially help eachother out!
# :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqDm3gZNZPM
# Conclusion
So far, the app and the tiles have been working exactly as I expected them to.  I have read that the battery should last a year, so I will have to consider if this is something I will want to keep paying annually or if I should **JUST GET MY SHIT TOGETHER!**

I tested various different distances from the phone to the Tile.
- From the car outside I wasn't in range but when I went outside it rang, but it was harder to hear from inside the car (though I did hear it)
- Strangely there have been a few times where I was right beside the item and it didn't pick it up for a few seconds but as soon as I started walking away it did, and I could ring it.

The fact that I will have to leave my bluetooth on in order to find it may possibly cause problems I have yet to see.  As far as I'm aware though, bluetooth uses much less battery than WiFi and I leave my WiFi on constant so I think I'm probably good.

Just think if I had this app a few weeks ago when I lost my car key....  The person who picked it up and never bothered to drop them into a garda station probably didn't have the app either...  So either way I'm at a loss.
# So howabout joining the "worlds largest lost & found"