Never Lose Your Wallet Again | Hacker News Reader

Never Lose Your Wallet Again

wallettrackr.com

30 pointstonyicracked51 comments

The product seems interesting but the video is wayyyyyyy too long(4:48 ! ) and doesnt get to the point soon enough.

I think a short video (less than a minute) would be more effective.

Agreed. You need to get this down to 30 seconds or a minute. It is way too long. I watched for like 20 seconds and had no idea what the hell was going on... didn't find out for a good 2 minutes. Nobody is going to watch it.

TL;DR: 3.8mm bluetooth device inside an optional custom wallet that allows you to track where your wallet is using an IPhone 4S, 5 or new IPad.

Personally I haven't misplaced my wallet since I was a teenager but I guess this might be useful to some. It's not clear why they're limiting the IPhone/IPad hardware requirements to just the newest ones.

Hardware: Are the older models supporting the low energy mode of bluetooth 4? If not .. that'd be the reason, I guess.

The 4S was the first iPhone to support low-energy bluetooth.

Note that this use-case is handled specifically in the spec:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_low_energy#Electronic...

Tasteless advertising video = close window, forget about the product.

The video was very tongue-in-cheek, I would not characterise it as tasteless. I found it pretty funny.

The Wealthy Silver Fox + Gold Digging Blonde archetypes are, if not outright tasteless, so hopelessly played out that it's cringe-inducing.

More like very tongue-hanging-out. I agree it's totally tasteless. I'd go so far as to say it's one of the worst product videos I've seen, and I'd bet it's not helping their conversions at all.

I hadn't bothered watching the video until I read these comments. I only made it 2 minutes in and thought it was pretty hilarious, but my attention span didn't hold any longer .

I don't think it was tasteless - it just wasn't very good. First, it was a bit funny - but the joke went on well after it needed to. Next, it tries to merge the professional actors with the people from the company - and then it gets....painful. The length of it definitely killed my interest, and I was left wondering why they weren't putting the money spent on this into the product. Or put another way, you've got the money to spend on hiring a video crew, actors (assuming you paid them) and edit - why would I give you money?

> I don't think it was tasteless

You're welcome to that opinion. However it clearly isn't universally shared.

Isn't that why we call it an opinion? :)

The video was so awkward and tacky that I can't help but be impressed by their video marketing strategy.

Guess who will remember the product now? This guy.

Cool idea. However, after reading the website, I realized I don't get why this is limited to wallets. Think about other things people lose on a regular basis. For example, why not make this thing key-chain friendly? Should be pretty easy to do by adding a hole on the device.

Also, I would recommend removing the "TrackR" text from the device. Otherwise, it will be the first thing a thief gets rid of once they have your wallet. On the other hand, if you try to make it look as inconspicuous as possible, it is less likely to attract unwanted attention.

Another crazy idea: offer an option to have it sewn into the wallet so that it A) is hidden and B) cannot slide off by accident.

> Cool idea. However, after reading the website, I realized I don't get why this is limited to wallets. Think about other things people lose on a regular basis. For example, why not make this thing key-chain friendly? Should be pretty easy to do by adding a hole on the device.

I think this is more of a branding/marketing issue. In the video they make note that you could use it for more than just wallets. And there's a hole on there for keys...

Hmm, didn't even realize that was a hole. And there's a diagram that specifically points it out. facepalm

heh. well not totally you fault. IMO, there should be a huge pic of the product closer to that (great, albeit long) video of theirs. as well, calling it "wallet tracker" pigeonholes its potential uses.

The picture clearly shows a keychain hole, and one of the prominent suggested uses is for (amongst others) tracking keys.

I'm not sure I want to be adding more to stuff to my wallet. In fact, I don't think I'll even be carrying a wallet in the near future with mobile payments quickly growing (Square Wallet, Google Wallet (NFC), Level Up, etc.)

Google is also apparently launching a virtual physical card. It's great since you don't need to carry multiple cards. If it gets lost you can probably just disable Google's virtual card rather than having to call your bank and having your card killed/changed.

While payment via smartphone is certainly compelling, I carry many other things in my wallet: - Driver's license - Insurance (car/medical/dental) cards - Auto club membership card

I'm not sure I want to have separate apps for these. Things like gift cards to restaurants (which I also carry around) could easily be replaced w/ an app, but there's something mildly compelling about a non-smart identifier for things like insurance / ID.

I forget where my smartphone is (once a week or so) way more than I forget where my wallet is (pretty much never), so I guess this isn't a good product for me.

Edit: I guess the product works both ways (wallet will beep your phone if the app is running), so that's more useful than I thought, but when I do misplace my cellphone I can always find it by calling it via my google voice on a laptop or whatever, so I'm still going to skip this.

"The technology works both ways, which means your wallet can beep to alert you that you're leaving your phone behind."

If it works with Bluetooth doesn't that mean it has a limited range?

What happens if you leave your wallet in the bus, etc...?

I suggest rereading the page. The app alerts you when your phone has separated from the tracking device. The device is not a GPS device. From the site's copy:

"When the Wallet TrackR gets separated from your iPhone or iPad, the Wallet TrackR app gently alerts you that you may be leaving your wallet behind.

The app also takes a GPS snapshot of where your wallet was at the moment of separation in case you didn't hear the alert."

In answer to your question about the bus, I assume the idea is that your phone will alert you before you get too far (i.e., before you leave the bus). If you managed to leave the bus without catching the alert, the app could tell you where you left the wallet, but not where it's been since then. At least you will know to contact the bus company to see if anything was turned into their lost-and-found.

I am pretty paranoid about my wallet, which means that I usually have a pretty good sense of awareness about where it is. (I am so used to it being in my pocket that when I have my wallet in my hand I sometimes have a mild panic about my wallet missing. Doh!) That said, I would not put a large device like this in my wallet, because I don't perceive the benefit as worth the cost of a larger wallet and missing card slot.

Still, the idea and implementation seem to be excellent. I would be much more likely to attach a tracker to my luggage while traveling or in my laptop bag. With a smaller device I might even put it on my keyring. If I had one in my car I wouldn't have to think about remembering my parking spot. The GPS tag will mark it for me as soon as I leave my car.

I am pretty paranoid about my wallet, which is why it's often attached to my trousers by a chain. Appropriate technology: http://www.amazon.co.uk/CANVAS-WALLET-WITH-CHAIN-BLACK/dp/B0... It's cheap and the batteries don't run out.

Hmm, I got one of these: http://www.loc8tor.com/ about 8 years ago? Granted it doesn't have the iPhone app but at the time I thought they had patented the 'find your stuff with RFID' concept. The 'tags' last about 4 years and then you need to replace the batteries in them.

The most useful thing was that you could go through the house and eliminate rooms where the thing you were looking for wasn't. As my kitchen is centrally located I could stand in it hold up the loc8tor unit like a tri-corder, and ascertain both which direction and which floor (we've got two) that the item is.

I appreciated that the video had Santa Barbara references (as a native), but I don't see this as being a big seller. People who misplace their wallets probably have the same issue with their phones.

Indeed. So perhaps such people need a permanent bodily insert that beeps when it's too far from the phone or wallet?

I don't misplace my wallet enough to warrant an extra 3.8mm. In fact, I classify losing your wallet as a minor annoyance for most people than anything else (I've certainly never been as upset as the man in the video).

If people were really concerned about misplacing wallets, designs like these (http://i.imgur.com/FnOtD.jpg) would have taken off.

Being fairly absent minded, I've been intrigued by this and similar concepts. I tried Bikn for a while, and I liked the general idea, but the phone case was bulky, prevented use of the standard iPhone adapter, and stopped working after a few months. Eventually someone will get this right, though, and I'll be first in line. (If I can remember where the line is... ;))

The clever bit is how it's constantly duplicating geolocation results from the phone to the wallet fob and then using that last-known successful transfer to determine if and when the phone and the wallet have become separated. Thus, no cellular requirement on the fob's part, thus a much simpler design. I like it, and the video. It's silly in all the right ways.

I have a bigger problem with leaving jackets/coats at bars & restaurants. I also have had occasions where somebody took my coat by accident. Just last week, somebody also mistakenly grabbed my suitcase from the overhead compartment of an airplane.

Assuming this would work just as well for non-wallets, I think this is pretty cool.

WRT the thickness, I wonder how many mWh 2 button cells hold compared to these 0.5-1.2 mm lithium-polymers http://www.powerstream.com/thin-lithium-ion.htm and if the self discharge rate is low enough for year+ use

Everyone else is making apps to make the wallet obsolete, and I think I speak on behalf of all men when I say kudos to them for doing so.

So it's a an odd time to be making a product that makes it bigger. This seems like making something to rewind your VHS tape the year before everyone bought a DVD player.

Not really, I imagine the wallet will still be alive and well for at least another 10 years.

Until every little shop and flea market is accepting square for everything (I've yet to see anyone using square in the UK yet).

Not to mention having somewhere to put credit cards, business cards, discount cards, receipts and all that other stuff.

Plus a wallet is still a fashion item.

I agree that this does look kinda big though.

It might also be better to have this somehow sown into the wallet itself, if your wallet is stolen the first thing the thief would do is throw this away.

Wallets definitely will exist for awhile, unfortunately, because businesses are slow to adopt new terminals that use NFC or the like. I think their collapse will come very quickly though. You'll go from not needing your wallet half the time to not needing it ever in under a year. I'm not sure when that will happen, but I'd take the under on 10 years.

Once I can pay for things with my phone at most places, I'll simply not go anywhere where I can't, or if I do, I'll plan in advance and toss some coinage in my pocket.

To play devils advocate - I'm not convinced =)

Wallets are used for more than just cash ...

NZ law for example requires you to carry your drivers licence at all times. Most (but not all!) people keep it it their wallet - sure you can attach it to your key chain or put it in the glovebox, but then if you're driving a work/friends car, you need to make sure you also have your keys with you (or remembered to grab your licence)

I keep receipts in there - normally for up to a few weeks until I sort them and keep the important ones. Without a wallet, these will just go in a random pocket and probably be lost (though maybe you could have electronic receipts...)

I keep business cards in there (both mine and others). Sure, some of the time you may be able to send a contact to the other persons phone, but if you're meeting a client etc for the first time, fumbling around trying to get phones to sync is probably not a good look. (Assuming the person has a phone that's compatible with yours). This ignores all the other advantages of business cards such as being able to scrawl a message on the back before leaving it with a receptionist, or tucked into a door.

I keep one time keys on a bit of paper tucked in there - both gmail and for financial accounts. These are bits of data I specifically never want to ever be found anywhere on my phone or online =)

And if you are young, where else are you going to keep that emergency condom? =)

It will go at the speed of the slowest common denominator.

Lots of shops are run by older people who will resist adopting any kind of technology unless absolutely necessary (and it won't be necessary until people stop carrying cash, kind of catch 22).

Not to mention weed dealers and "cash in hand" types. Plus making sure everyone has NFC phones (including people coming from overseas).

Interesting idea but the rather large tracker requiring a custom wallet is a bit of a deal killer. It's not credit card sized, it's much thicker.

I suppose if you have a problem losing your wallet you may be willing to use this but since I've never lost mine or had it stolen it's not worth it to me.

Buy a wallet with a chain. Problem solved. (I haven't lost or forgotten my wallet or keys in years)

So does this track your wallet or not? Or does it just beep/take a snap shot of when the separation happens?

If someone takes my wallet or I left my wallet in a moving vehicle (ie: taxi) - there's zero chance to track it since it's on the move?

I wonder how much it costed for the developers to make this video? It's pretty well done. Looks more like a startup marketing video rather than a Kickstarter project.

My wallet is too thick already. Another 3.8mm is way too much. That kind of thickness needs to be integrated into the wallet rather than inserted into it.

I think they would have done better to design a dongle for keys instead. People are already used to keyfobs.

When will Android get a working Bluetooth 4.0 stack? It is a shame they don't even mention Android

"Can I put it in my brain, just in case I lose it while watching the video?"

> "If you don't have an iPhone ... too bad"

Is this for real or is it a parody of the douchey vacuity iPhone apps for people with too much money?

Also, how much do you think they paid for the rights to use "Tarzan boy" by Baltimora? It was released on EMI. They're now part of Universal.

This thing will be a hit in hotels and mall parking lots...

$250K! What?!

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