Cuirally Voyager Smart Wallet with Chipolo tracker
Loosing one's wallet is a situation something no one wants to face. But all of us would have faced this moment at least a few times in our lives- forgetting the wallet somewhere or someone managing to steal it from us and we only realizing it too late, forcing us to undergo a complicated procedure of blocking cards, getting fresh documents/cards and so on.
I received a smart wallet for review from its makers. When I asked my facebook friends to guess what's unique about it, I got wide range of answers, including some crazy ones- you can check it on the FB here.
Now, let us see what's unique about this wallet. It is called Voyager Smart Wallet and is made and marketed by Cuirally. Few things are obvious- it is large, can hold a passport and comes with a pen. Super. But is that what makes this wallet unique? No. Its uniqueness is a tracking chip inside.
How does it work?
The Chipolo Chip inside the wallet can be connected to your android/iOS smartphone via Chiolo App. Connection is via Bluetooth and works when the wallet is within Bluetooth range.
Usage 1: Locate your wallet or Phone: Using the phone, you can trigger a ring on the chip and using the ringing tone, you can detect where exactly your wallet is, if you've misplaced it... Good thing is, it can work the other way also- if you have the chip but not the phone, you can tap on the chip and trigger ringing sound on the phone, so that you can locate your phone.
Usage 2: Take a selfie: Chipolo chip can also serve as a selfie clicker.
Usage 3: Alert when chip comes closer- if the chip is away (out of Bluetooth range), you can set an alert to ring as and when phone reconnects with chip again. This is useful if the thief is in the vicinity but you don't know who he/she is or where he/she is. Note: There is no GPS based tracking to find out where the chip is. It works only when within few meters radius.
Things to remember:
Tracking Unit Battery Life: The smart tracker is a no repair, no maintenance type. The battery in tracker unit lasts for about an year. After that the tracking uni can be replaced. Replacement will cost Rs 600-800 as per brand. The long term no need to recharge battery ensures a hassle free usage- not having to carry another charging device and keep charging it regularly. If battery fails within 1 year, brand will offer a free replacement with new chip. You don't have to remember when to order replacement- manufacturer will send you an alert on 11th month.
Potential Damages: Brand says it is safe to sit on a wallet with chipolo chip inside. Because chip layers are vertical instead of horizontal, it can withstand some pressure and coexist with other contents of the wallet
Why removable type? If the tracker unit is lot smaller - say a sim card size or if it is integrated seamlessly into the body of the wallet, it could have been more effective and tamper proof. But that would have made the maintenance complicated. Current model of Voyager Smart Wallet carries a removable chip, cleverly positioned deep inside the wallet in a designated pouch, but easily detectable and removable. One advantage is you can remove the chip and use it to track something else- may be your pet cat or your check in baggage.
Other applications:
You can put the tracker in your checked in bag and see if it is really loaded on to the aircraft
You can tie to your pet cat etc
My personal feedback:
The idea of smart wallet is great. It helps reduce lots of tension as we often tend to misplace things and panic at last moment when we need to leave. So the smart wallet which is easy to detect is certainly a cool accessory to have.
Couple of limitations:The dimensions are slightly larger and won't fit in regular pockets. May be makers should launch another one with smaller dimensions.
We should hope that the thief is not super smart to detect and throw the tracker away. Sometimes they take the money and throw the whole wallet away. If the thief has gone few kms away, then it is very hard to track via Bluetooth. Keep these limitations in mind. Still whatever control it offers can be put to use to reduce risk of theft/loss to a considerable extent.
Other unique features of Cuirally Voyager Smart Wallet
Note: It is possible to buy Chipolo tracker standalone on Amazon but that will cost Rs 2500 on its own. Better to buy via Cuirally.
About Cuirally: Cuirally is a Chennai based start up making smart wallets. Their other product is RFID secure unisex wallet called Stark that prevents credit card info from being skimmed.
It's for a reason our elders said "Prevention is better than cure"
I received a smart wallet for review from its makers. When I asked my facebook friends to guess what's unique about it, I got wide range of answers, including some crazy ones- you can check it on the FB here.
How does it work?
The Chipolo Chip inside the wallet can be connected to your android/iOS smartphone via Chiolo App. Connection is via Bluetooth and works when the wallet is within Bluetooth range.
Usage 1: Locate your wallet or Phone: Using the phone, you can trigger a ring on the chip and using the ringing tone, you can detect where exactly your wallet is, if you've misplaced it... Good thing is, it can work the other way also- if you have the chip but not the phone, you can tap on the chip and trigger ringing sound on the phone, so that you can locate your phone.
Usage 2: Take a selfie: Chipolo chip can also serve as a selfie clicker.
Usage 3: Alert when chip comes closer- if the chip is away (out of Bluetooth range), you can set an alert to ring as and when phone reconnects with chip again. This is useful if the thief is in the vicinity but you don't know who he/she is or where he/she is. Note: There is no GPS based tracking to find out where the chip is. It works only when within few meters radius.
Things to remember:
Tracking Unit Battery Life: The smart tracker is a no repair, no maintenance type. The battery in tracker unit lasts for about an year. After that the tracking uni can be replaced. Replacement will cost Rs 600-800 as per brand. The long term no need to recharge battery ensures a hassle free usage- not having to carry another charging device and keep charging it regularly. If battery fails within 1 year, brand will offer a free replacement with new chip. You don't have to remember when to order replacement- manufacturer will send you an alert on 11th month.
Potential Damages: Brand says it is safe to sit on a wallet with chipolo chip inside. Because chip layers are vertical instead of horizontal, it can withstand some pressure and coexist with other contents of the wallet
Why removable type? If the tracker unit is lot smaller - say a sim card size or if it is integrated seamlessly into the body of the wallet, it could have been more effective and tamper proof. But that would have made the maintenance complicated. Current model of Voyager Smart Wallet carries a removable chip, cleverly positioned deep inside the wallet in a designated pouch, but easily detectable and removable. One advantage is you can remove the chip and use it to track something else- may be your pet cat or your check in baggage.
Other applications:
You can put the tracker in your checked in bag and see if it is really loaded on to the aircraft
You can tie to your pet cat etc
My personal feedback:
The idea of smart wallet is great. It helps reduce lots of tension as we often tend to misplace things and panic at last moment when we need to leave. So the smart wallet which is easy to detect is certainly a cool accessory to have.
Couple of limitations:The dimensions are slightly larger and won't fit in regular pockets. May be makers should launch another one with smaller dimensions.
We should hope that the thief is not super smart to detect and throw the tracker away. Sometimes they take the money and throw the whole wallet away. If the thief has gone few kms away, then it is very hard to track via Bluetooth. Keep these limitations in mind. Still whatever control it offers can be put to use to reduce risk of theft/loss to a considerable extent.
Other unique features of Cuirally Voyager Smart Wallet
- Cuirally Voyager Smart Wallet is made of premium fine grain leather
- Can hold 8+ cards and few coins
- Dimension: 13.9 CM * 11 CM * 1.5cm (thickness)
- Can hold passport or similar sized notepad, a dummy passport sized notepad and a real sleek metal pen comes complementary
- Available in 3 colours- blue, brown and black
Note: It is possible to buy Chipolo tracker standalone on Amazon but that will cost Rs 2500 on its own. Better to buy via Cuirally.
About Cuirally: Cuirally is a Chennai based start up making smart wallets. Their other product is RFID secure unisex wallet called Stark that prevents credit card info from being skimmed.
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