Tracker tags are the talk of the tech town: not only do they find your items, but now they’ll also control your lights.
That's right: Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag can be configured for smart automation, alongside the usual tracking of your personal inventory. Use them to tap into your wider smart devices: turn off your lights, or even program in different functions to compartmentalize the lighting in your house choosing different colors for different areas.
It's a neat little trick and one that's sure to be useful when sitting at your desk, sofa, or anywhere you've engineered a remote setup. It saves time and also makes it easier to keep on top of the emails without worrying about moving to switch off your lights. It's the purest of life-hacks for desk-dwellers and tech enthusiasts or just a cool party trick.
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Samsung’s Galaxy SmartTag exhibited at the Unpacked event earlier this month, where we also saw the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21.
The information comes from the ever-trusted tipster, Max Weinbach, who has sniffed out the slick feature. It works with the SmartThings ecosystem, which covers a range of Samsung smart devices; it could thus open up new avenues for the SmartTags to operate other gizmos, including your home's lamps and speaker systems. Samsung's Galaxy SmartTags cost $29 / £29 / AU$52 and will be available to buy from January 29, alongside the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Of course, we’re huge fans of smart integration here at T3 – check out our best smart thermostats guide to keep your house heated while keeping on top of expenditure. We've also lovingly crafted the best smart bulbs guide to give your home that much-needed ambiance. The best examples of these bulbs include the Philips Hue smart lighting system to cast technicolor goodness across over your home.
Other tracking titans, such as Tile, also offer wider functionality; for instance, Tile is baked-in to the Skullcandy Indy Fuel headphones, and the newly released Skullcandy Indy ANC. T3 recently covered the Skullcandy Indy ANC earbuds as a less-pricey, noise-canceling alternative to the ever-popular Apple AirPods. Tile devices also sync up with Google Nest Hub Max for wider smart home integration.
Apple’s own foray into the tracking arena is fast approaching in the shape of its AirTags. T3 has reported widely on its much-touted AirTags, as it looks to add a Bluetooth-tracking solution following a flurry of great releases over the past year, including the Apple Watch Series 6, the Apple iPad Air, and the iPhone 12. T3 recently covered the discovery of a hidden new function integrated with Safari, which speaks to the AirTags nearly being ready to launch.
Oppo, too, will be jumping aboard the tracker train. T3's coverage of what's being dubbed the Oppo Smart Tag hints that it could leave its own imprint on the tracking game with a brawny, and stronger-looking device, to outlast rivals' options. Needless to say, it's a very exciting time for smart tracking as global tech giants battle to bring the most effective device to market.
