I really don't get the usefulness of these tags. In order to solve a problem, create another problem to solve it? Is there a bigger vision I am missing?
@mossibat You must not be a person who misplaces things! 😊 Families use these to track essential items: wallets, purses, keys, medical treatments/devices, children's backpacks, etc. Utility is limited right now by the tags' size, battery life, notification options, limited data capture ability, price, etc. Adoption should take off once this stuff is addressed -- and replaceable batteries were a critical first step. I think GPS will be the tipping point for broad use in the commercial sector -- but we're a few years out from a battery that's small enough to power GPS in a tracker-sized object at a reasonable price point. At that point we'll track all of the people, their kits, their pets, and all of the things, too.
@kkdub thanks for your explanation. So what happens when we can track all these items? I get the appeal of putting sensors and trackers in things but how would it make them 10x faster, cheaper or more enjoyable?
@mossibat These sensors (and much of IoT/IoE) aren't about cheaper, better, faster. We look instead to the beginning of a new paradigm of connectivity, utility, and control. Here utility is at center stage: IoT device makes it possible for people to find & use items that are sunk costs -- at the the very moment that they want them -- without needing to buy a replacement. It is insurance, reassurance.
Do we have an idea of how efficient is the network effect (chance we have that our lost items are in the range of other lapa owners). Can you provide an estimation of the density of lapa 1 and 2 per country/town? Or the number of time that function was successfully used? And BTW are the two versions compatible for that purpose? Can you and other object finders companies on the market work together to multiple that network effect?
@taykcrane My guess here, besides the replaceable battery, is that it's also waterproof. I don't *think* that Tile had that kind of certification. The replaceable battery really does it for me. I had a handful of Tiles only to realize that when I actually needed to use them they had died already - there was no warning or anything.
After seeing a bunch of these come out *and* get funded, the next big step would be to include GPS. Not sure what else you can improve on besides size and battery life.
@joshuapinter@taykcrane Lapa 2's advantages reside in the fact that it conciliates a waterproof casing with a replaceable battery that last for 1year, built with materials which allow for an incredibly robust structure and stylish design. The sound reaches 90db, making sure you can hear your Lapa no matter where you are, and the range of our device reaches up to 60meters in line of sight, making it one of devices with the furthest range in the market. Besides, Lapa integrates safety features through which your smartphone alerts you if you leave something behind, and it connects to Facebook and fosters crowdsearching, allowing users to get notified when they pass by lost objects and get in contact with their owners to return them.
Love that this has a replaceable battery. That is the one problem I have w/the Tile. I'm not sure if 5mm is thin enough to fit in my wallet, the Tile is 5.3mm and that is too bulky for me. When my Tile dies I will definitely be looking at one of these.