Tile, the Bluetooth-connected lost item finder which recently rolled out a newer, thinner version of its flagship product called the Tile Slim, is out this morning with its latest, an update to the original Tile, now called Tile Mate. While still bulkier than the Tile Slim, the new Tile Mate is now 25 percent smaller than the original version, and comes with a hole that allows it to clip onto keyrings.
Tile Mate is also a touch more affordable than its thinner counterpart, at $25 versus $30 for the Tile Slim.
When introduced, the Tile Slim was meant to solve the problem of tracking items where the larger Tile would have caused problems.
For example, the original Tile would have been a big bump, if placed onto an iPad or laptop computer. It also wouldn’t have fit well in the wallet. Tile Slim changed that. But there’s still demand for the bigger, original Tile, especially given its pre-drilled hole, which lets you attach it to things like your luggage, your keys, your purse, and other items.
And if you don’t particularly need the convenience of the thin Tile Slim, you can save a little money by purchasing a Tile Mate.
Both Tiles work in the same way – by syncing them with a mobile app on your phone, you can locate items when they’re missing. But Tile is not limited by Bluetooth range. It leverages the network of Tile users to help find items that aren’t nearby. This network is fairly sizable, as well. The company has sold over 6 million Tiles to date, has a presence in more than 200 countries territories, and now locates more than a half a million things every day.
The Tile Mate ships with four preset ringtones for finding items, and can be used in reverse to find your lost phone, too.
Compared with the original Tile, the Tile Mate is 6.1 g compared with the older Tile’s 8 g. And it’s 34mm x 34mm x 4.65mm, which makes it a bit smaller than the original Tile (37mm x 37mm x 5.3mm). Both, however, are water-resistant up to IP5 standards.
Also new today, Tile is introducing a way to buy both of its trackers in a single purchase, with the Tile Mate and Tile Slim Combo Pack. This offers 4 Tiles for $90. You can buy a four-pack of Tile Mate trackers for $70, too, and current Tile customers can upgrade for a discounted price.
One of the interesting things about Tile is that it turned what would otherwise could be a standalone gadget purchase into a subscription product. Many of its competitors offer similar gadgets where you can swap out the battery when it dies, but Tile instead encourages users to upgrade and return their old device for recycling.
Customers can join the reTile program to receive new Tiles on an annual basis (as batteries last roughly a year), but at up to 50% off the original price.
In the case of the Tile Mate, reTile customers can buy a new Tile for $15 apiece.
The new Tile Mate is available online today from Tile’s website, and will be available in retailers starting tomorrow, including Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile, Target and Verizon.