My Kindle keeps running away

January 24, 2018 1:00 PM

I often misplace my Kindle, which drives me crazy. Sometimes I lose it in my house, sometimes in my car, or at work, and it's lost for days. I think I need to get one of those Bluetooth tracker thingamabobs, like a Tile, to help me the next time I lose it. The problem is that I like using my Kindle without a cover.

Can you recommend a specific cover/case that is very thin or otherwise not annoying to use, but that can still fit a tracking device inside it? Or is there a better solution to this problem that I haven't thought about?

posted by zoetrope to Technology (13 answers total)

Is there a reason you can't just glue the thing onto the back of the kindle?
posted by phunniemee at 1:03 PM on January 24, 2018

Or something like this?
posted by miratime at 1:08 PM on January 24, 2018

phunniemee, I think it would be irritating to feel it on the back of the Kindle all the time. Plus, I think the Tile battery only lasts a year, while the Kindle will last for several years (unless I lose it), so it would be best to have something that could be removed and replaced as needed.
posted by zoetrope at 1:10 PM on January 24, 2018

You could have more than one Kindle.
posted by w0mbat at 1:14 PM on January 24, 2018

You can stick a small strip of velcro on the back of your kindle and another on the tile. Less permanent than glue and removable.
posted by zarq at 1:16 PM on January 24, 2018

The Trackr pixel and bravo have replaceable batteries, and are thin/small enough to be tucked inside one of those wallets that miratime links to. However, unless you live in an area with a lot of Trackr users, the Bluetooth tracker won't work, so you have to go to the area where you thought you left it, ping it, and find it if you hear the ping.

For me, it's worth it because my problem is that I'm too lazy to dig through a pile of dirty laundry until I see it. :D
posted by joyceanmachine at 1:17 PM on January 24, 2018

Which type of Kindle do you have - is it a b&w e-ink ebook reader or a color screen tablet?
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 1:18 PM on January 24, 2018

Sorry, should have said this before, I have a Kindle Paperwhite.
posted by zoetrope at 1:31 PM on January 24, 2018

Can you start a new routine? I used to lose things all the time and it drove me nuts. Then I got married and wore a wedding ring and decided that I sometimes remove and decided that I need to fix it. When I take the wedding ring off it will go on/in one of a few places - on my dresser at home (not my bedside table, not the bookshelf - the dresser), in my right front pocket (not left, not back), my right shoe (if I'm at the gym and put my shoes in a locker. And, yes, it's the right shoe. Not the left), or on a little pyramid dooby that I have on my desk (if, for some reason, I need to take it off at my desk). That's it. If I don't have my ring it's in one of those places. Period.

You lose it in your car? If you put the Kindle away, it goes in the glove compartment. Always. Or pick a different place, but that's where it goes. Always. At home, pick one or two places that you always put it. If you find yourself putting it down somewhere else, move it to those other places. Get it burned into your brain that that is where the Kindle goes.

Try to ensure that the kindle only ever goes to one of a handful of places and you won't lose it again.
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 1:51 PM on January 24, 2018

I agree with the suggestions so far -

1) Tile bluetooth tracker (I love mine) attached with velcro on back. I think you'll get used to it and it's just a trade-off vs. misplaced kindle. You can use your phone to make it ring! I love that.

2) Designate a specific place to put down the kindle anywhere you usually have it. This conditioning has made my life so much better. In my case, it was car keys. They always go in the dish in my kitchen, or always go in a specific pocket in my bag, or always go on a specific clip in my travel bag. Get a nice special tray and/or pouch and train yourself to always use this. It takes work but it can bring a peace to your life that you never knew was missing.
posted by belau at 3:59 PM on January 24, 2018

I have a Kindle Fire HD and it has a "Find My Kindle" feature in the menu. I wouldn't assume that the Paperwhite has a similar feature, but if this becomes a huge problem, consider a Fire HD.

(I have OCD and rarely lose anything, so I have not needed to use this feature.)
posted by tacodave at 4:06 PM on January 24, 2018

I think it would be irritating to feel it on the back of the Kindle all the time

Do you always hold the device in the same way? I know I don't really touch the corners of my nook, so you can place the tile (using velcro) on a corner of the Kindle.
posted by Julnyes at 9:25 AM on January 25, 2018

Just a weird idea to add - you could feasibly attach a PopSocket to the back and put a tile on that. It would be clunky but you'd have something to hold onto while reading that is designed to make holding a device more comfortable.
posted by belau at 4:39 AM on January 26, 2018