Similar object-finders play a sort of Marco Polo game with the missing item. You use your smartphone to indicate your keys are lost, for example, and the attached locator starts chirping or chiming. If the keys are buried under couch cushions or all the way upstairs, it makes the process of finding them a little more difficult. Pixie wanted to alleviate the guesswork involved in the process by pinpointing an object’s location to just a few inches, and showing you exactly where to find it.
The Pixie Point is a smallish sticker, 47 millimeters by 35 millimeters and 3.2 millimeters thick. You’re not going to want to hang it off your glasses, but it wouldn’t look out of place hanging off your keychain or from a pet’s collar. Affix it to your remote, and the next time you lose it, pull out your smartphone. Click on the missing object, and if it’s in range — up to 50 feet indoors and 150 feet outdoors — a circle with an arrow indicating which direction you should travel crops up on your screen. As you move toward the object, your distance from it shows up inside the circle. It’s accurate to within a foot. If you still can’t find the remote, you can take advantage of the “augmented reality” feature. Hold up your phone with the app open, and it will show you a view of your couch, with an “X” to indicate the remote’s exact location.
The stickers are water-resistant (you can even put them through the wash, as long as the cycle is less than 30 minutes and under 104 degrees Fahrenheit), and the more Pixie Points you have, the better they work. They communicate with each other, as well as your phone, letting them make a more accurate map of where your objects are. Pixie says all this information is safe, because the Points don’t store data or login info, so if you lose your keys, someone else won’t be able to get into your account. Plus, if you do lose your keys, you can take advantage of Pixie to see the last place you were in range of them.
Another neat Pixie Point feature is its ability to keep you organized. If you’re packing for a trip, you can group objects together and let the app remind you that your camera isn’t in your bag before you head out the door.
One drawback of Pixie is that they only last 18 months before the non-replaceable batteries die and the sticker must be replaced. Another is that with their bright outlines along the guitar pick shape, the Pixies are pretty conspicuous. Right now, a pack of four is available for presale at $40, though the company says that’s a discount of $30 off its regular price. The Pixie Points will find their way to you this summer.
