TrackR: Crowdfunded Bluetooth Wafer Helps You Find Misplaced Wallet, etc.

The $19 TrackR is a like a leash between your wallet and your mobile phone. It’s a Bluetooth-enabled wafer of plastic that fits in your wallet or pocket. You pair it with your phone, and whenever the TrackR and your phone get separated both your phone and the TrackR start beeping.

The app also takes a GPS snapshot of where your wallet was at the moment of separation in case you didn’t hear the alert. Tap a button within the app to make your wallet “ring” in case your looking for it around the house or in the dark. The technology works both ways, which means your wallet can beep to alert you that you’re leaving your phone behind. Works with your iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, new iPad, iPad mini and the new iPod Touch.

Yesterday, I met with Scott Hawthorne (left) and Chris Herbert (right) of Phone Halo, the 5-person company that designed the TrackR. They demoed the TrackR and I was impressed with how well it works. At $19, it seems like a good deal. They said the battery life is 1.5 years.

Scott and Chris kindly left a sample unit with me, which I plan to start using. I’ll review it after I’ve had it for a week or two.

The TrackR will be available in the US and internationally as soon as the FCC and CE approve it (it uses low-power Bluetooth). You can pre-order one on Indiegogo for an estimated April delivery.

11 Responses to TrackR: Crowdfunded Bluetooth Wafer Helps You Find Misplaced Wallet, etc.

barbecuesteve on February 6th, 2013 at 11:58 am said:

BAM! I was the guy who made the one that crossed the line! http://cl.ly/image/35143i3G3E3y

Reply ↓
- Mark Frauenfelder on February 6th, 2013 at 1:06 pm said:
  
  Cool!
  
  Reply ↓
- Chris Herbert (@CGherb) on February 7th, 2013 at 12:29 am said:
  
  Thanks for your support!!!
  
  Reply ↓
Chris on February 6th, 2013 at 2:16 pm said:

No Android support? That’s a missed opportunity and it’s embarrassing to see developers still supporting one or the other and not both.

Reply ↓
- barbecuesteve on February 6th, 2013 at 2:37 pm said:
  
  1) An open API will sort that out soon enough
  2) When they hit their goal, they added a follow-on goal: If they hit $25k, they’ll ship an Android client too.
  
  Reply ↓
- Ed on February 6th, 2013 at 9:33 pm said:
  
  I might be mistaken but I think the limitation (which is why it only works with the 4s and above) is that android currently doesn’t implement the low power bluetooth that it uses, I assume whenever that makes its way into the OS they can go android.
  
  Reply ↓
  
  Chris Herbert (@CGherb) on February 7th, 2013 at 12:31 am said:
  
  I was pretty disappointed when ICS didn’t support Bluetooth Low Energy. Even more so when Jelly Bean didn’t. We have sdk’s to support Samsung BLE phones and hitting 25k will help us bring on another dev to accelerate our Android development.
  
  Reply ↓
kentkb on February 7th, 2013 at 6:09 pm said:

So cool! Thanks Mark for the heads up. Bought one a few minutes ago.

Reply ↓
Treehouse Projects on April 23rd, 2013 at 12:59 pm said:

Curious to know, if I use this, I can never use my Bluetooth headphones at the same time right? As I understand it, you can only pair with one device. Thanks.

Reply ↓
- Steve Sparks on April 23rd, 2013 at 1:05 pm said:
  
  Nah, you’ve got it backwards. The TrackR can pair with one phone. A phone can pair with — and simultaneously communicate with — several devices.*
  
  * yes I know this is dependent on phone capability but it is not an inherent limitation.
  
  Reply ↓
  
  Treehouse Projects on April 23rd, 2013 at 2:03 pm said:
  
  Unbelievable! I’m a developer and never knew this – scrapped so many ideas because I thought only one pairing was possible. Wow, truly embarrassing on my part! Time to start tracking those ideas down again …
  
  Reply ↓