TrackR, a startup that prevents customers from losing their things by creating tracking devices that are powered by Bluetooth and crowd GPS, unveiled two new products ahead of CES 2017.
The new products work with TrackR's recently announced Atlas, which is a plug-in hub that maps the homes of customers to make it even easier to locate items.
How TrackR Devices Work
TrackR's devices, which can be attached to important but easily lost and misplaced items such as keys and wallets, can allow users to track these items from a distance of up to 100 feet through Bluetooth. Outside of this range, TrackR's technology relies on a crowdsourced network of TrackR products to locate the missing items, which is more reliable if there are more TrackR devices around.
Meet The TrackR Pixel And TrackR Wallet 2.0
The products that TrackR announced before the annual CES are new form factors of its tracking devices, named the TrackR Pixel and the TrackR Wallet 2.0
The TrackR Pixel is a cheaper version of the company's flagship tracking device, the TrackR Bravo. The new product retains all the functions of the previous device, but instead of the TrackR Bravo's aluminum casing, the TrackR Pixel uses plastic casings that come in nine different colors with an LED light to make it easier to find in the dark. The TrackR Pixel is also lighter and smaller compared to the TrackR Bravo, at a diameter of 26 millimeters and thickness of 5 millimeters, equivalent to two stacked quarters.
The price of the TrackR Pixel is $24.99 each, compared to $29.99 for the TrackR Bravo, with preorders for the tracking devices already open with shipping expected to start in the spring.
The TrackR Wallet 2.0, meanwhile, is even thinner than the TrackR Pixel, as it has a thickness of only 2 millimeters, equivalent to about two stacked credit cards. An upgrade to the TrackR Wallet, as can be deduced from its name, the product is shaped like a credit card to make it easy to store inside wallets.
While the TrackR Wallet 2.0 is described as the thinnest tracking device in the market, it retains the feature of having replaceable batteries. It will be released in the spring with a price tag of $29.99 each.
TrackR Launches Atlas: What Does It Do?
The TrackR Pixel and the TrackR Wallet 2.0 both work with the recently announced Atlas, which is a Bluetooth-enabled Wi-Fi wall plug that serves as a main hub for locating all items connected to a TrackR device.
The Atlas, once plugged into a home's wall socket, will map the customer's home and all the items inside it that are being tracked. Through Atlas, users will be able to set up alerts on when a tracked item either enters or leaves a certain room, and the system can also keep a running log of the previous locations of tracked items.
Another neat feature for TrackR Atlas is that it will support Amazon's Alexa, allowing users to issue voice commands to their Echo speaker to locate a misplaced item. The inclusion of this feature follows the hefty investment of between $250,000 and $500,000 that Amazon made into TrackR for the improvement of Alexa's capabilities.
Preorders for the TrackR Atlas has also started, with a price tag of $39.99 and shipping expected to start in the spring.
