Rating: 3.5/5
We know the feeling when you frantically pat your pockets as you realise your keys aren't where they should be. In our increasingly connected world, smart trackers have emerged as tiny digital lifelines for such scenarios, promising to help us find our misplaced essentials. However, with Apple taking a lead, Android users were left with a few choices or less reliable accessories, particularly concerning compatibility.
Enter the Boat TAG . Positioned as an affordable, universally compatible solution for Android users. It leverages Google's Find My Device network to work with any modern Android smartphone or tablet. Priced at Rs 1,299, it undercuts some competitors but does this budget-friendly tag deliver reliable tracking and genuine convenience, this review delves into the Boat TAG's design, setup, performance and overall value to determine if it truly lives up to its promise.
Boat TAG design
Boat TAG gets a squircle design -- that differentiates it from the more common circular or square designs -- small enough to be coupled along a bunch of keys. Alongside the tracker itself, the company is also giving a simple lanyard, essentially expanding its usability from keys to bags and other things.
The Boat TAG has a black plastic finish and it resists fingerprints as well as smudges well, maintaining a clean appearance even with daily handling. However, its dimensions and shape present a drawback for those considering men’s wallet tracking as it creates a noticeable and a bulge that may bother few. Having said that, the design is perfectly functional for keys, bags or larger items.
Boat also provides an additional battery in the pack, offering a total of a year’s life (including six-month from the pre-installed battery). This is a notable value-add at this price point, delaying the need for an additional purchase.
Boat TAG: How to setup
Getting the Boat TAG up and running is refreshingly straightforward, showcasing the benefits of deep integration with the Android operating system. The process begins by simply pulling out a small plastic tab, which activates the pre-installed battery. On most modern Android phones with Bluetooth enabled, a notification should automatically pop up on screen, prompting the user to pair the device. Should this automatic detection fail, or if Bluetooth is initially off, manual pairing through the phone's standard Bluetooth settings menu is also an option.
The most significant advantage here is the integration with Google's ecosystem. Unlike many third-party accessories that require dedicated companion apps, the Boat TAG works natively with the Google Find My Device application. This app comes pre-installed on the vast majority of Android smartphones these days, eliminating the need to download, install and manage yet another piece of software.
Notably, once paired to a user’s Google account, the Boat TAG automatically becomes accessible across all other Android smartphones and tablets logged into that same account -- for example a phone and a tablet or two phones -- all with the same email ID.
Boat TAG: How it works
In practical terms, the Boat TAG performs its core function reliably. Our real-world test involved placing the tracker in a pouch among scores of bags in a changing room of a football team as well as finding our parked car in a mall’s parking lot.
We coupled the Boat Tag with our car keys and left them in a bag, and used our phone to locate the bag by viewing its location on a map and successfully navigate to it. The Boat Tag comes with an in-built 80dB alarm that helped us pinpoint the whereabouts of the item. In this scenario, since we were in the phone’s Bluetooth range, it was easy to locate the bag by turning on the alarm.
In the second scenario, we went to watch a movie and parked our car with the tracker inside it and wanted to test its working. It's crucial to understand how this location tracking works beyond the immediate vicinity of the phone. While the Boat TAG itself uses Bluetooth Low Energy for short-range communication, its ability to be located “anywhere in the world” hinges entirely on the expansive Google Find My Device network.
As mentioned, the device uses Find My Device feature on Android that relies on Bluetooth connectivity as well as leverages a network of other Android devices to help users locate lost or stolen devices and items. It sends location data to Find My Device, allowing users to track devices on a map.
We were able to locate our car through the map inside Find My Device map and locate our car. However, it must be mentioned that the location was a bit vague and not entirely correct when compared with precision finding technology found in Apple's AirTag or Samsung SmartTag.
However, given its price, the Boat TAG provides a general location on a map or an audible alert nearby but not real-time, step-by-step guidance.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 1,299, the Boat TAG enters the market as a highly affordable option. It directly competes with other budget-friendly trackers and is noted as being slightly cheaper than alternatives like the JioTag Go. Its most compelling advantage, however, lies in its universal Android compatibility, powered by the Google Find My Device network.
It offers fundamental tracking capabilities across the vast majority of Android devices at a low cost. However, this accessibility comes at the expense of features like UWB precision finding found in premium Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTag. Overall, the Boat TAG successfully carves out a niche for itself in the nascent smart tracker market by prioritising affordability and universal Android compatibility.
We know the feeling when you frantically pat your pockets as you realise your keys aren't where they should be. In our increasingly connected world, smart trackers have emerged as tiny digital lifelines for such scenarios, promising to help us find our misplaced essentials. However, with Apple taking a lead, Android users were left with a few choices or less reliable accessories, particularly concerning compatibility.
Enter the Boat TAG . Positioned as an affordable, universally compatible solution for Android users. It leverages Google's Find My Device network to work with any modern Android smartphone or tablet. Priced at Rs 1,299, it undercuts some competitors but does this budget-friendly tag deliver reliable tracking and genuine convenience, this review delves into the Boat TAG's design, setup, performance and overall value to determine if it truly lives up to its promise.
Boat TAG design
Boat TAG gets a squircle design -- that differentiates it from the more common circular or square designs -- small enough to be coupled along a bunch of keys. Alongside the tracker itself, the company is also giving a simple lanyard, essentially expanding its usability from keys to bags and other things.
The Boat TAG has a black plastic finish and it resists fingerprints as well as smudges well, maintaining a clean appearance even with daily handling. However, its dimensions and shape present a drawback for those considering men’s wallet tracking as it creates a noticeable and a bulge that may bother few. Having said that, the design is perfectly functional for keys, bags or larger items.
Boat also provides an additional battery in the pack, offering a total of a year’s life (including six-month from the pre-installed battery). This is a notable value-add at this price point, delaying the need for an additional purchase.
Boat TAG: How to setup
Getting the Boat TAG up and running is refreshingly straightforward, showcasing the benefits of deep integration with the Android operating system. The process begins by simply pulling out a small plastic tab, which activates the pre-installed battery. On most modern Android phones with Bluetooth enabled, a notification should automatically pop up on screen, prompting the user to pair the device. Should this automatic detection fail, or if Bluetooth is initially off, manual pairing through the phone's standard Bluetooth settings menu is also an option.
The most significant advantage here is the integration with Google's ecosystem. Unlike many third-party accessories that require dedicated companion apps, the Boat TAG works natively with the Google Find My Device application. This app comes pre-installed on the vast majority of Android smartphones these days, eliminating the need to download, install and manage yet another piece of software.
Notably, once paired to a user’s Google account, the Boat TAG automatically becomes accessible across all other Android smartphones and tablets logged into that same account -- for example a phone and a tablet or two phones -- all with the same email ID.
Boat TAG: How it works
In practical terms, the Boat TAG performs its core function reliably. Our real-world test involved placing the tracker in a pouch among scores of bags in a changing room of a football team as well as finding our parked car in a mall’s parking lot.
We coupled the Boat Tag with our car keys and left them in a bag, and used our phone to locate the bag by viewing its location on a map and successfully navigate to it. The Boat Tag comes with an in-built 80dB alarm that helped us pinpoint the whereabouts of the item. In this scenario, since we were in the phone’s Bluetooth range, it was easy to locate the bag by turning on the alarm.
In the second scenario, we went to watch a movie and parked our car with the tracker inside it and wanted to test its working. It's crucial to understand how this location tracking works beyond the immediate vicinity of the phone. While the Boat TAG itself uses Bluetooth Low Energy for short-range communication, its ability to be located “anywhere in the world” hinges entirely on the expansive Google Find My Device network.
As mentioned, the device uses Find My Device feature on Android that relies on Bluetooth connectivity as well as leverages a network of other Android devices to help users locate lost or stolen devices and items. It sends location data to Find My Device, allowing users to track devices on a map.
We were able to locate our car through the map inside Find My Device map and locate our car. However, it must be mentioned that the location was a bit vague and not entirely correct when compared with precision finding technology found in Apple's AirTag or Samsung SmartTag.
However, given its price, the Boat TAG provides a general location on a map or an audible alert nearby but not real-time, step-by-step guidance.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 1,299, the Boat TAG enters the market as a highly affordable option. It directly competes with other budget-friendly trackers and is noted as being slightly cheaper than alternatives like the JioTag Go. Its most compelling advantage, however, lies in its universal Android compatibility, powered by the Google Find My Device network.
It offers fundamental tracking capabilities across the vast majority of Android devices at a low cost. However, this accessibility comes at the expense of features like UWB precision finding found in premium Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTag. Overall, the Boat TAG successfully carves out a niche for itself in the nascent smart tracker market by prioritising affordability and universal Android compatibility.
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