iCookie Review – Bluetooth 4.0 Tracker
I received the iCookie for review recently. The iCookie is a tiny Bluetooth-based Anti-Loss Tracker – about the size of a 50 cent coin. Do you spend significant time finding your little trinkets? It could be your wallet, work pass, and even keys. The iCookie aims to solve that problem by helping you keep track of your valuables. Just tag it with the iCookie – Technology’s solution for the absent minded.
Just the other day, when getting ready to work, I just couldn’t remember where I placed my wallet. It wasn’t in the usual spot on the tablet and I was running late! After some frantic searches, I realised it was tucked away in a corner of my bag. This is where the iCookie could have saved me some precious time.
The iCookie is based off Bluetooth technology. When in range, the device would be paired. After pairing, you can locate the presence of the iCookie, signal strength, and also “call” it, so that it would issue an audible alarm. When out of range, connection drops and the alarm would sound on both the phone and iCookie (this can be configured). Last known location would also be tracked. Setting up was pretty easy – turn on the iCookie and pair it via bluetooth to lock it. A reset would involve the use of a pin to trigger it.
So how does it fare in actual testing? Well, pairing my phone with the iCookie was easy enough. You can assign a name and a picture so you can remember which tag follows which device. I did some initial simulation, and walking out of the room without the iCookie resulted in both beeping when I was about 10m away. So far so good. Back in the room, however, with my phone in the pocket and iCookie with my wallet on my desk – resulted in occasions when the iCookie would be disconnected and sound off the alarm. That’s not ideal. There’s the option to select silent zones though, so that in office / home, frequent disconnections wouldn’t trigger the alarm. You could still manually “call” the device so that you can locate it.
When the trackers are in range and connected to your phone, you could observe the relative distance. There’s a proximity meter to indicate the signal strength of the pairing – helping you determine the relative the location of the iCookie.
When a device is disconnected, the iCookie offers a crowd-sourced locating mechanism – by using nearby devices with the iCookie app installed. Works well in theory provided that the adoption of iCookie is high. At this stage, not so practical yet. One of the problems plaguing early tracking device was the limited battery life. Thanks to Bluetooth 4.0, the iCookie operates off a typical watch battery and can last a full year. So you can just leave the tag on your device without worry of constant recharging. On the phone however, I observed a drop of battery life for my LG G Pro 2 by about 20%. It was significant – and it could be due to the connection / disconnection issue I encountered earlier.
The iCookie measures 33.94 x 31.2 x 7.7 mm. It is about the size of a 50 cent coin but about triple the thickness. The height means it might not fit comfortably into a wallet, especially those without a coin compartment.
So how does iCookie compare vs other similar tracker products?
A quick search on IndieGogo indicated two to three other similar products, with ongoing campaigns as well. There’s the StickNFind, Trackr Bravo, for example. Singapore has a own start up Protag offering the Duet / Elite as well. All use Bluetooth technology, offer similar functionalities, clearly an extremely competitive market. Looks could be subjective – but most important for me would be a small and minimalist device – which the iCookie achieves. The iCookie supports both Android and iOS. The company shared that iOS is much more stable than Android. Another unique feature is the CookieCam – which allows the use of the iCookie as a camera shutter. Press the button on the iCookie to trigger the camera. Good for tripod or selfie shots.
Availability
The iCookie is available online and would be distributed in retail shops in Singapore. Estimated price is around $30. You can also buy it online from the iCookie sales website.
Conclusion
While there are similar devices out in the market or in development, crowdfunding at the moment, the iCookie availability, small footprint, long batter life are definitely a plus. For a small investment, they could help save you some time finding your frequently misplaced gadgets.