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According to a study on memory and retention once you place an item somewhere, after 20 minutes, you only retain up to 58% of that memory – and this decreases over time. This inspired Samsung Electronics to launch Galaxy SmartTag in January 2021 as a part of the SmartThings Find service.
Once a user connects and pairs their Galaxy SmartTag with their smartphone, they can track its location on their smartphones. Samsung launched the Galaxy SmartTag+, which uses ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to pinpoint locations precisely.
HanJun Ryu introduced some possible scenarios in which the Galaxy SmartTag comes in handy. “In hospitals, there is a range of movable pieces of equipment that have to be put back in the exact same place after use. If they are not returned to the right location, they can have dire consequences in an emergency. Attaching a Galaxy SmartTag to items like these – and other objects that must be returned to specific locations, can prevent them from getting lost and save a lot of time.”
Samsung utilises Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology so that users can use their mobile device to easily locate items with Galaxy SmartTags attached. “When users are close to their devices, they can tap the ‘Ring’ icon to make their Galaxy SmartTag emit a sound to easily locate their lost item, even if it’s not visible,” explained Jimo Park.
The Galaxy SmartTag includes an ‘Offline Finding’ feature. It draws help from other Galaxy smartphones and tablets, to enable users to locate their items. It even works when the assisting devices are not connected to Bluetooth. If a user with ‘Offline Finding’ passes by the Galaxy SmartTag, then the BLE signal is detected and the location information is sent to the SmartThings server, and then to the user’s smartphone.
Galaxy SmartTag has strong security features with its proprietary technology, ‘Private ID’. The encrypted Private ID function is designed to change the device’s ID every 15 minutes to prevent the BLE signal from being misused.
Galaxy SmartTag+ uses UWB technology to provide more accurate locating capabilities. Users can locate missing items in real-time with augmented reality (AR) overlay and receive location information that is precise down to the centimetre.
“I hope Galaxy SmartTag and SmartTag+ help users find lost items and give them peace of mind that their most valuable possessions have an added layer of protection,” said Ryu. “Going forward, we are excited to continue to make our users’ finding experience better – we expect it to become a must-have device that users can’t be without.”
