Review: Trackr Bravo

If you have looking into this blog, I was using a Nokia Lumia 920 for pretty long. I have, however, moved over to Sony Xperia Z5. It wasn't becuase Lumia 920 died on me, it was Microsoft and generally the whole Windows ecosystem is not working out for phones. During the period, I had the Nokia Tag which was extremely useful. I happened to be a remote worker, and I always need this hard token on hand in order to be able to logon. Being a physical object, odds are I would leave it at home. The gadget app will usually give me an alert to let me know my token is not with me. Because I have moved over to Android, Nokia Tag doesn't work that well and so I had to find alternatives. Tile or Trackr Bravo was basically the only two I've shortlisted.

I've choose Trackr Bravo for the following reasons:

• Replacable batteries
• It's not a simple battery, CR1620, lasts 6 months. You probably won't find it in stores or even reliable ones online. Fret not though, Trackr has a battery replacement program. I'm living outside the US, and thru this replacement program, I can get batteries at a lower price than locals - http://support.thetrackr.com/hc/en-us/sections/201808123-My-TrackR-s-Batteries-Died-What-Can-I-Do- 
• You can't change a battery on Tile, lasts 1 year. You do get a discount to replace it every year under the reTile program so you get a new version of it every year. I don't really find that earth friendly even though you can recycle it, but debatable - https://www.thetileapp.com/retile
• CrowdGPS
• Trackr app has a function that detects other Trackr trackers. In the event you lost the tracker/item, you could receive an update of where your item is, provided another user of the TrackR app comes within a 100ft range of your lost item. I thought it would be helpful, but of course I don't want this to happen to me.
• Size (as of 2016)
• Tile - 37mm x 37mm x 5.3mm
• Trackr Bravo -Diameter: 31mm Thickness: 3.5mm 
• Both are small, not a big concern, but Trackr Bravo's footprint wins
• Water resistant
• Tile - Yes, Up to IP5 standards
• Trackr Bravo - No, but you can pair it with a water resistant case (sold separately)
• I wouldn't want my electronics near water actually. So not a big concern for me.

Moving on to the app, I'll only talk about Trackr's app since that is what I have purchased. The app is available from Google Play Store or Apple Store as expected (nobody really cares about Windows). There are some standard options I would say, for your tracking needs:

• Silent Mode - if you are within a certain wireless network coverage or connect it with Nest, you can silent alerts. Useful when you are in office or home. It's possible that alerts goes off even when the tracker is within range, so this will silent it out.
• Map - When trackers are paired, a map with approximate last seen location is displayed.
• Device Separation Alert - When tracker is separated from your phone, the device will emit a beep
• Phone Separation Alert - When phone is separated from tracker, the phone will beep. It beeps even I'm on silent mode which is quite annoying at times, but it does it's job right.

So there you have it, a quick understanding of why I choose Trackr Bravo and some options on the app. You can purchase it here if you like to get one - this is referral link where I'll get a Trackr free if you purchase.