@llangley Fuck. My first Google feed story after my comment was from ZDnet about the Chipolos Android style Air Tag.
Stop watching me
Although I must admit that I DID read it
So manufacturer of CDs and, before that, floppies (and before that cassette tapes for computer storage) is putting its name on a fairly random piece of electronics. But, at least it explains why it’s being dumped on a daily deal site.
@ergomeh Yepp, same company.
I actually own quite a bit of Verbatim branded products; mice, keyboard, speakers, and a portable monitor. They all perform quite well though they look very plain Jane.
And $3 for a tracker with replaceable battery is a great deal!
@theonlybuster “same company” as in a major manufacturer of actual stuff that has become a company that, presumably for the right price, will let you use its name on pretty much anything? Maybe they do manufacture some/all of this, but I doubt it.
Legit question though, what advantage (aside from price) do these offer Apple users over the ubiquitous Airtag? Do they even offer Ultra Wideband support? Airtags offer a higher IP rating (IP67 vs IP66) While it’s nice that they come with their own keychains, are they the same dimension as Airtags to ensure compatibility with the huge market of Apple and 3rd party accessories?
The broad adoption of Airtags with Apple’s “Find My” feature is the only reason I’d likely ever consider switching platforms. Android is left with a bunch of different tracker manufacturers (Tile, Chipolo, et al) I bought Moto Tags for the UWB support, and frankly they still kinda suck.
In short: buy once, cry once and just get Airtags if you are in the Apple ecosystem.
@ciabelle to try to answer your question, I can only offer Meh’s big discount as the reason these have any advantage. BTW, I’m an Apple user and before I started using AirTags, I used Tiles and thought they were pretty decent.
@ciabelle I’ve got two different “off-brand” Find My-compatible tracking devices. I think I paid around $15 apiece. I keep one in my everyday backpack, the others go into my suitcases when I’m traveling. none of them support UWB which is p much a nonissue, as my use case is being able to know right away whether or not my bags have made it onto the airplane.
Definitely picking up a couple packs of these. At $3 apiece they’re an absolute steal.
@bofis There are several options on Amazon for Android compatible trackers at 4 for around $15. I’ve bought several different ones and they all seems to work fine for my needs. I’ve put a couple in the car, various cases, bags, keychain and even got a credit card sized one to keep in the wallet in case it somehow walks off. There are models that are compatible with both platforms, but are more expensive and will only bind with one at a time.
@bofis@readnj YMMV, those were just the first ones I found in a quick search, not the ones I previously bought, tough they were on sale at around the same prices. Just set your expectations accordingly.
These are not CIA targeting Jason Bourne style realtime GPS trackers and will not guarantee the recovery of your property if actually stolen, unless the thief is really dumb. However, they may aid in locating accidentally misplaced or forgotten items or possibly your kids that like to play hide and seek at bath or bedtime.
@Pufferfishy Thieves don’t bother with that because they don’t give a crap about the backpack. They’ll just dump it out, grab the stuff that looks worth anything, then toss the bag in the nearest trash can.
So, can I comment on the “story” that is hawking these? Did anyone else notice that the keys were simultaneously in his pocket and on the counter in said narrative?
My 10 year old visually impaired dog, Charlie went missing 6 days ago. We live in a rural area in the Hudson Valley region of upstate NY. Although this tag may have been too big for him since he is a silky terrier, (think Yorkie, but a tad bit longer) and approximately 10 pounds. I’m going to get these for my other dogs. This not knowing where he is totally sucks. I don’t know if some idiot grabbed him or if some animal got him all I know for sure is I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
I have android, so no. But the only thing I can never find is my PHONE! Luckily my watch will find my phone if I can’t find it. And usually, it’s on top of a counter, not under anything…
Good enough to hide under the pickguards/electronics cavities of my guitars!
Sure… it’s not going to deter theft but might at least help track down a location up until they get removed - but honestly most thieves are just going to take a stolen instrument straight to a pawn shop without going through the effort of removing a whole bunch of screws, so I suspect these are still worth it for $3 a piece!
how exactly do these work, do they tell you the distance to tag or just that it’s in the vicinity? will it differentiate between different drawers in the kitchen? opposite shelves in the garage?
@username It just responds to BLE pings from nearby phones and the phone uploads its own location and the tag’s ID to the cloud. You basically know that it was within the phone’s bluetooth range at the time of the ping, which can be a radius of 30-75 feet or more. If you own the device, then you can make the tracker emit a beep to help locate it, but due to the small size and battery, it is not very loud.
I set these things up, then procrastinate on low battery warnings, and find the item two years later because I stored it somewhere weird assuming I could use the tracker
Specs
Product: 3-Pack: Verbatim My Finder Bluetooth Coin Tracker (Works with Find My)
Model: 32133, 32134, 32135
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$35.95 at Macy’s
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 26 - Tuesday, Jan 27
The write up is word for word like something I have seen before.
@yakkoTDI yes. Word. For. Word.
@llangley @yakkoTDI Word
/giphy Oh no
How many of these will be in the next irks?
@ironcheftoni yippee. More incompatible devices!
So this all ended up as the Next Trac’r & inner up in the next IRK!
No Apple. No buy.
🌬
@llangley Fuck. My first Google feed story after my comment was from ZDnet about the Chipolos Android style Air Tag.
Stop watching me
Although I must admit that I DID read it
@llangley no woman, no cry
@llangley Is that the song By Irk Gnarley
@llangley What do you mean? These will work with Apple devices.
@ParadisePete Me No Apple, so Me No Buy
That purple looks pink to me
Also, does this work with Android Find My Mobile?
@heartny It doesn’t look like it. They probably would have mentioned it.
TrackR Pixel 2024?
Uh oh, here we go again.
@Kyeh everywhere you go, there you are.
@mehvid1 Am I being tracked?
@Kyeh now more than ever!
These look way too much like Necco wafers for me to have around.
@brennyn probably taste the same too
An Air tag for the rest of us? What? This is for the iphone?
So manufacturer of CDs and, before that, floppies (and before that cassette tapes for computer storage) is putting its name on a fairly random piece of electronics. But, at least it explains why it’s being dumped on a daily deal site.
@ergomeh I thought that name looked familiar!
@ergomeh all my homies use maxell
cassettes floppies cd-rwsBluetooth mesh beacons@ergomeh don’t forget the 15-power-tower on sidedeal!
@ergomeh Yepp, same company.
I actually own quite a bit of Verbatim branded products; mice, keyboard, speakers, and a portable monitor. They all perform quite well though they look very plain Jane.
And $3 for a tracker with replaceable battery is a great deal!
@theonlybuster “same company” as in a major manufacturer of actual stuff that has become a company that, presumably for the right price, will let you use its name on pretty much anything? Maybe they do manufacture some/all of this, but I doubt it.
First I thought these were spare tire covers for Jeeps…
@chienfou They’re giving me whoopee cushion vibes.
/giphy Opus-thppft
Omg, lol, I’m leaving it
@Carebear
God, I miss him… and Bill, and Milo, and Steve and…
Are the batteries replaceable?
@squishybrain they come with 2032s, so I would assume (which I don’t normally advise) yes.
Can you change the battery on these?
@robson from their site: “Battery: User-replaceable CR2032”
@mehvid1 @robson
Yeah, but does it require two pieces of gorilla tape, a knife, and a friend to get them open?
Heads up: batteries are replaceable 2032s. (Just confirmed via the Verbatim site.)
Wait a comment above said not Apple yet Meh “Our take “ said works with Apples “find my”. Which is it or is there limited functionality
@craigcush not made by Apple, but works with Apple FindMy.
@craigcush confused me as well but I think the commenter above is saying they do not have an Apple so they will not buy this
Guess im avoiding irks for the next 3 years… im still randomly finding trackRs around the house.
@jnicholson0619 If only there was a way to track and find them!
Android user, so no need for these.
Legit question though, what advantage (aside from price) do these offer Apple users over the ubiquitous Airtag? Do they even offer Ultra Wideband support? Airtags offer a higher IP rating (IP67 vs IP66) While it’s nice that they come with their own keychains, are they the same dimension as Airtags to ensure compatibility with the huge market of Apple and 3rd party accessories?
The broad adoption of Airtags with Apple’s “Find My” feature is the only reason I’d likely ever consider switching platforms. Android is left with a bunch of different tracker manufacturers (Tile, Chipolo, et al) I bought Moto Tags for the UWB support, and frankly they still kinda suck.
In short: buy once, cry once and just get Airtags if you are in the Apple ecosystem.
@ciabelle to try to answer your question, I can only offer Meh’s big discount as the reason these have any advantage. BTW, I’m an Apple user and before I started using AirTags, I used Tiles and thought they were pretty decent.
@ciabelle @mehvid1 I use Tile and it is perfect. 1 on my keychain and 1 in my wallet.
@ciabelle I’ve got two different “off-brand” Find My-compatible tracking devices. I think I paid around $15 apiece. I keep one in my everyday backpack, the others go into my suitcases when I’m traveling. none of them support UWB which is p much a nonissue, as my use case is being able to know right away whether or not my bags have made it onto the airplane.
Definitely picking up a couple packs of these. At $3 apiece they’re an absolute steal.
/showme curvy-aberrant-jellyfish
@visioneer_one Here’s the image you requested for “curvy-aberrant-jellyfish”
@ciabelle My official response is that these absolutely offer nothing better than the Airtag. Everyone should definitely buy Airtags instead.
Unless they’d rather spend $3 for a tag than $15-$20 (or have 6 of these instead of 1 of those).
Sorry, I can’t find my wallet, nor the IPhone I never bought, so, No.
Random thought:
With 3 colors, maybe these could stand in for poker chips. And anyone with an IPhone could track
the big winner through a dark alley.
@phendrick
Of course, if you’re leaving the poker joint before cashing in your chips, you’re doing it wrong.
@phendrick phen. We don’t need a fancy phone.
If only they also worked with Android they’d be far better trackers
@bofis There are several options on Amazon for Android compatible trackers at 4 for around $15. I’ve bought several different ones and they all seems to work fine for my needs. I’ve put a couple in the car, various cases, bags, keychain and even got a credit card sized one to keep in the wallet in case it somehow walks off. There are models that are compatible with both platforms, but are more expensive and will only bind with one at a time.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRHRLY2K
KuoH
@bofis @kuoh Thanks just ordered these.Based on description seem to be perfect for Android use.
@bofis @readnj YMMV, those were just the first ones I found in a quick search, not the ones I previously bought, tough they were on sale at around the same prices. Just set your expectations accordingly.
These are not CIA targeting Jason Bourne style realtime GPS trackers and will not guarantee the recovery of your property if actually stolen, unless the thief is really dumb. However, they may aid in locating accidentally misplaced or forgotten items or possibly your kids that like to play hide and seek at bath or bedtime.
KuoH
Hang one on your backpack! Because that sure won’t be the first thing that gets torn off and thrown away when someone steals your backpack!
@Pufferfishy so put the tag in an inside pocket
@Pufferfishy Thieves don’t bother with that because they don’t give a crap about the backpack. They’ll just dump it out, grab the stuff that looks worth anything, then toss the bag in the nearest trash can.
So, can I comment on the “story” that is hawking these? Did anyone else notice that the keys were simultaneously in his pocket and on the counter in said narrative?
My 10 year old visually impaired dog, Charlie went missing 6 days ago. We live in a rural area in the Hudson Valley region of upstate NY. Although this tag may have been too big for him since he is a silky terrier, (think Yorkie, but a tad bit longer) and approximately 10 pounds. I’m going to get these for my other dogs. This not knowing where he is totally sucks. I don’t know if some idiot grabbed him or if some animal got him all I know for sure is I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.
@candiedisilvio1 Oh no. That’s awful. I hope he turns up somehow.
Thank you so much @Kyeh I do too 🥹
@troy, can you give the dimensions of these? On the Macy’s page it says
That would be huge, and has to be wrong, going by the pictures. They must be including the keychain holder in those measurements?
@Kyeh Lol, you’d definitely be able to find them if they were that size!
On the Verbatim site, I see 1.3 x 1.3 x 0.32 in (L x W x D) each.
@dseanadams That makes more sense, thanks.
@dseanadams @Kyeh
Probably the package size…
Verbatim. Essentially trackr’s just not verbatim
Just got an email from Meh.
Subject line: Should you buy today’s Meh?
Per Betteridge’s Law of Headlines: No
I have android, so no. But the only thing I can never find is my PHONE! Luckily my watch will find my phone if I can’t find it. And usually, it’s on top of a counter, not under anything…
Will these be in IRKs for the next couple years? I do actually want to buy a pack but one set is enough…
/giphy peppery-outdated-chemist
Get these while you’re at it
Good enough to hide under the pickguards/electronics cavities of my guitars!
Sure… it’s not going to deter theft but might at least help track down a location up until they get removed - but honestly most thieves are just going to take a stolen instrument straight to a pawn shop without going through the effort of removing a whole bunch of screws, so I suspect these are still worth it for $3 a piece!
/giphy wishful-skilled-haircut
And as an Android user, these help me how…?
They help you by ensuring that Android’s natural enemy, the Apple user, is weakened economically to the tune of $9!
@MrNews I’m sure someone would happily send you Trackr Pixels for $9.
@therealjrn ROFL!
Better than Apple trackers. I have lots of 2032 batteries.
@Coffae AirTags use 2032 batteries.
These seem worth it for things you don’t need precise finding for though.
So, if I buy these, will I be as happy as the guy in pics 7 and 8 (counting left to right)?
how exactly do these work, do they tell you the distance to tag or just that it’s in the vicinity? will it differentiate between different drawers in the kitchen? opposite shelves in the garage?
@username It just responds to BLE pings from nearby phones and the phone uploads its own location and the tag’s ID to the cloud. You basically know that it was within the phone’s bluetooth range at the time of the ping, which can be a radius of 30-75 feet or more. If you own the device, then you can make the tracker emit a beep to help locate it, but due to the small size and battery, it is not very loud.
KuoH
Will these fit AirTag holders?
Battery lasts a year at best? Then what, is batter replacable?
I do not need this. I do not need this. I do not need this!
And I need sleep because this is the wrong post.
I set these things up, then procrastinate on low battery warnings, and find the item two years later because I stored it somewhere weird assuming I could use the tracker
@Aetherwizard
BTDT!
@Aetherwizard @chienfou Is that an acronym for “Buy the damn thing?”
@mehvid1
Not any more…
Arrived. Paired. Dumped in a suitcase. Works as well as an Apple Airtag.