Tile’s Bluetooth trackers are made for forward-thinking scatterbrains who know in advance they’re going to lose track of all their valuables, and want to make finding them as simple as tapping an icon on a smartphone app.
Now, Tile wants to make searching for your keys even simpler, by partnering with Comcast to support video notifications and voice commands through the cable provider's X1 voice remote.
In a press release today, Comcast explained how customers will be able to say commands like, “Xfinity Home locate Sam’s backpack” and have the item's closest location, either inside or outside of the house, displayed on the screen.
When your lost item is at your address within 100 feet of you, Tile trackers will emanate beeping noises so you can find them. A smartphone with a Tile tracker can be programmed to ring when its tracker is activated, even when on silent.
However, outside of your immediate proximity, Tile relies on “access point partnerships”, networks Tile can connect to in its search for lost items. By teaming up with Comcast, Tile has greatly expanded its Wi-fi search radius for missing or stolen stuff.
"Tile is creating a world where everyone can find everything that matters," said Tile CEO Mike Fahey in a statement. “With Comcast ... we are bringing greater peace of mind to Xfinity customers in their home, providing a streamlined experience for them to quickly locate their things no matter where they are.”
Only Xfinity Home owners will be able to use this functionality at first. They can download the Xfinity Home app for iOS or Android to connect their Tiles’ Bluetooth to their TVs.
Later this year, Comcast says that all Xfinity Internet customers will have access to this functionality.
Making everything trackable
Earlier this year at CES 2018, Tile first announced its partnership with Comcast (without any hint of video pop-ups or voice commands), along with Rucks network and the San Jose International Airport, working to increase its data access.
No doubt Tile would like to expand that range to other network providers and public areas in the future.
Beyond that, Tile divulged its new partnership with Bose to insert its tracking technology into the latter's headphones, but through firmware updates instead of sticking a tracker on it.
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Bose SoundSport Wireless and Bose Quiet Control 30 earbuds can currently be tracked through the Tile app (or the Xfinity platform), and other Bose products could be added in future.
And some smaller companies are working Tile tracking tech into their products, including backpacks, luggage, inhalers and skateboards.
Eventually, with enough partnerships, Tile will ensure you don’t need the foresight to stick Bluetooth tech on everything you might lose. They’ll be tracking pretty much every valuable thing you own, just in case.
- Comcast also recently partnered with Netflix for subscription packages
