You might be used to finding your lost smartphone on a map, but what about your other gadgets? Skullcandy has teamed up with tracking experts Tile to create a new series of true wireless earbuds that you can locate using an app on your phone, should they get mislaid.
The tracking technology looks impressive too. Each earbud works as a separate Tile device, so you can hunt them down separately. Tracking works even when the earbuds are inside their charging case, and even when they're powered off.
As with the regular Tile trackers, the actual tracking is managed using a Bluetooth connection with your phone. If you suddenly can't find your true wireless earbuds, your phone can show you where it last had a connection with them, and guide you towards their location using the strength of the Bluetooth signal.
You can also make your earbuds emit a sound from the phone app. If your Skullcandy buds are out of Bluetooth range, Tile will (anonymously) enlist the help of the entire Tile network, alerting you if any other Tile user comes within range of them.
As usual for a Tile product, there is the option of Tile Premium: US$2.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a 30-day free trial. The extra features include Smart Alerts, which warn you if you're leaving a room without your tracked gadgets, and a 30 day location history map for all the Tile-enabled hardware you own.
"In several consumer research studies that we have conducted, we discovered that the number one fear of true wireless users is losing their buds," Skullcandy Chief Marketing Officer Jessica Klodnicki said in a press statement. "This is why we partnered with Tile – to provide unmatched value to our customers. Together we've offered an experience unlike any other on the market."
Skullcandy and Tile provided some background statistics too. Apparently the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority recovered 1,220 earbuds from the subway over the course of just four months last year, while Delta Airlines staff report finding about 40 pairs of forgotten Apple AirPods every month.
Tile tracking technology is now in 10 Skullcandy products, though this is the first time that the capability has been put inside true wireless earbuds from the company. Apple offers something similar with its own in-house solution for AirPods, although it doesn't work when the AirPods charging case is closed.
The Tile tracking feature is in four new products from Skullcandy: the Push Ultra ($99.99), the Indy Fuel ($99.99), the Indy Evo ($79.99) and the Sesh Evo ($59.99) pairs. All are available to buy now in a variety of colors.
Source: Skullcandy