Find Your Stuff (Sometimes) With Pixie Points
Pixie is a system for iOS devices that helps you find stuff. You can use it to find your keys, a laptop, headphones, or most anything to which you can attach a Pixie Point. The system only works with iOS at this time. I’ve done some testing with it and have some thoughts. You can read them below.
WHAT IS PIXIE?
Pixie basically consists of Pixie Points, which are little teardrop shaped Bluetooth keys that attach to your phone or tablet and then to other items yu want to keep track of, and the Pixie app. What the Pixie Points and app allow you to do is locate items you’ve misplaced – like the keys that fell down in between your sectional pieces or the laptop that slid under your coffee table. I tested the four pack + iPhone case that is available for $70 from Pixie’s website.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The first thing you’ll need to do is pair one Pixie Point as your “primary” one. It’ll stay attached to your phone. The easiest way to do this is to use one of the special iPhone cases that Pixie sells. Unfortunately, the Pixie Points are kind of bulky and they really add a lot of bulk to your device. Once you’ve paired one Point you then pair secondary Points that you’ll attach to objects that you want to locate. The four pack that I was provided for review included a keychain dongle which is what I used for testing. I attached a Point to the dongle then put the dongle on my keychain.
Once you’ve paired everything up (which is easy enough using the included app) you are ready to go. I did some test runs and came away less than impressed. T use the Pixie app you have to hold your phone out at arm’s length and spin around in circles. Your primary Point is looking for your lost item. Once it picks up on the secondary Point the app will give you an idea of its direction and distance. Maybe. Maybe it’ll tell you to walk around so that it can get a better bead on where the lost item is.In my experience, this was only successful about 50% of the time. The rest of the time I found myself just spinning and spinning and spinning (not too fast now or the app will yell at you) or walking around forever.
In my experience, this was only successful about 50% of the time. The rest of the time I found myself just spinning and spinning and spinning (not too fast now or the app will yell at you) or walking around forever. When the Pixie could find the missing item it did give an accurate indicator or the direction and distance. There’s even a mode that uses an AR view through your camera to show you where in your couch your keys have slipped or which side of the bed is hiding your missing headphones.The thing is, it’s just not consistent enough to be reliable.
CONCLUSION
The thing is, it’s just not consistent enough to be reliable. And the bulk that is added to your phone and whatever item you want to track just isn’t worth it. A system that isn’t accurate and takes a ridiculous amount of time to use just isn’t good enough. It’s annoying to go through all of the required gyrations and motions only to end up not finding what you were looking for. You feel like you just wasted a bunch of time that you could have used actually searching for (and finding) whatever it is that’s lost. Unless you are someone that CONSTANTLY loses things save your money. I cannot recommend Pixie.
