Written by: Shaza Walid

Most of us wake up in the morning already in a hurry for work. After a quick shower and a rushed breakfast, we run to the door, only to discover that something vital is missing. Where are the keys? Looking everywhere and frantically asking family members about them sets the day off with such a hassle. Wouldn’t you wish there was a tool to lead you to your lost items? Well, it does exist and goes by the name Chipolo .

Where did the idea come from?

The scenario above could happen to the best of us, including one of the founders of Chipolo.

“Chipolo is the result of group of six men’s quest to help their friend find the things he lost. Our friend, Domen, was always losing things,” recalled Tadej Jevsevar, co-founder and CPO at Chipolo. “Trust us: The list is very, very long. We desperately wanted to help Domen. The idea for Chipolo tag was born: a small, affordable device people could attach to the things they didn’t want to lose,” he said.

We often lose or misplace valuable possessions and then spend a considerable amount of time looking for them. It is even worse when we lose them in a public place because they could sometimes be stolen.

“The average person misplaces about 3,000 items a year, and spends upwards of 60 hours each year trying to find them! We think that’s got to change,” stated Tadej.

What is Chipolo

Chipolo would be the solution for that. It is a small, lightweight, and colorful tracking device that you attach or hang on to your valuable things to keep track of them. “The Chipolo is named after words Chipset and Color, since it has built in PCB board and its available in 9 fun colors,” explained the co-founder.

The device is only 5 mm thin and made of plastic. The gadget is connected to the Chipolo application that you download on your smartphone (Android, iOS, or Windows) through which you can know where your belongings are located.

“We are building the world’s largest Lost and Found community where Chipolo users help each other find lost items. It is already in use in more than 200 countries worldwide and people love to put Chipolo on their items,” said Tadej.

Features

• Convenient and smooth design.
• Nine colors to choose from (Deep Sky Blue, Bubblegum Pink, Arctic White, Cherry Red, Sunset Orange, Sunflower Yellow, Lime Green, Sapphire Purple, and Jet Black).
• Long-lasting battery (6 months). The package comes with an extra battery so you are covered for a whole year.
• Bluetooth Low Energy connection (which is as strong as Bluetooth connectivity but consumes less energy).
• Built-in speaker with 90 dB (decibels) to ring and easily locate your objects.
• Covers a range of 60 meters.
• It could be used to track absolutely anything that is of value to you, be it your phone, wallet, keys, bag, laptop, tablet, or even your pet.
• Comes with a temperature sensor so you can determine if your lost item is inside or outside.
• You can use the application to take a selfie by shaking your Chipolo .

Where can you buy it?

You can easily choose the Chipolo you prefer from Yaoota and have it delivered to your doorstep. Its price is 319 EGP.

How does it work?

Here is a video that further illustrates how Chipolo works:

Chipolo works through built-in Bluetooth connectivity that allows you to connect with your lost things. All you need to do is download the free Chipolo application, connect it to the Chipolo chip, attach it on your valuable item and you would be good to go. You can connect up to nine Chipolos on different items per application.

To find your mobile phone, just shake your Chipolo and your phone will ring loud enough for you to find it, even if it was on silent.

If it was not within 60 meters, you can still find it by logging into your account, and its last location would be determined. You could then either make it ring or send it a message, through which the person who found your phone can know it is lost.

As for your other items or if you cannot find the Chipolo itself, you would need to log into your Chipolo account and a map will come up, pinpointing the exact location of your item within 60 meters. If your item is not within this distance, you will be able to see your item’s last location, so you will know where to look.

If you still cannot find your lost item, the Chipolo team included a new feature that allows you to not only search from your phone but also from anyone’s phone that has the application downloaded. And no need to worry because this feature is 100% private, so no one else knows that you are looking for a lost item.

“We want to make loss a thing of the past. We believe when everything has smart location, the world will be a simpler, happier place,” Tadej asserted.

Pros of Chipolo

1. Its bright colors make it easy to spot almost anywhere.
2. It sends a notification to your phone when the Chipolo is out of range, so you immediately know when your item is not near you anymore.
3. Sleek and lightweight design.
4. Battery lasts 6 months.
5. The application will send you a gentle reminder when the battery is almost empty.
6. User-friendly mobile application.
7. Android, iPhone, and Windows phone compatibility.

Cons of Chipolo

1. The item’s location might not be very accurate at all times, in addition to not covering the whole 60 meters as promised.
2. It could be somewhat expensive when purchased on its own (you get a considerable discount when buying two or more at the same time).
3. It is not the kind of gadget that you will use every day. However, if you are the kind of person who loses their belongings all the time, it would be the right fit for you.
4. When you are replacing the battery, you may break the Chipolo.
5. The beeping sound that results from being far away from your item can be a bit faint.
6. The application sometimes does not connect properly with the Chipolo.

Some products may be out of stock for some time but they soon become available. If you happened to face a problem with any product, please let us know in a comment on Yaoota’s Facebook page.