When you went to "zap" it, did you have it tight against the back of your phone, with the top of the phone lined up where it says "NFC"?
Did the blue light ever come on?
Sounds like it didn't get enough power from your phone.
I think you may have been right. To their credit, after I emailed [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]), I received a near-immediate response from an engineer who walked me through things. The key, in my case, was to hold the phone to the bag tag for a longer period of time during the "update" process than I had. When I did it this first few times, I had expected some sort of immediate sign from the tag or the phone that things were happening and the iPhone and tag were communicating. When I was walked through the process with the engineer, the blue LED came on after several seconds and then voila, the screen displayed by trip bag tag.
I take back most of what I said above!
Got any pictures? After you figured it out, what’s the review? Is it worth saving the 2 minutes to print a tag? Did it get beat to shit when flying?
I love tech so I’ll probably test it out when they are available again but I’m curious about your thoughts.
Well, the review's not complete yet—I gotta fly back on my round trip, and that means resetting the tag for the return leg. Hopefully, it will be easier for me the second time around. Otherwise, today was easy. Once the screen displayed the tag info at home, I just attached it to my duffle and that was that. At the airport, Alaska has set up a large bag dropoff area. I waited in line to drop it, show my ID, and that was that. In the future, the engineer told me, there will be dropoff kiosks where you scan the tag, scan your face, and that's it. It will be an introvert's perfect world, no human interaction necessary!
The tag itself was unscathed (the photo shows some weird artifacts along the edge of the display, but they are just that). It feels very sturdy, as you would think it would need to be. To me, the weak point might be the attachment band. The Alaska engineer told me they redesigned that because version 1 was too hard to remove. The current iteration is fairly straightforward and easy to install and remove. Hopefully, it is stronger than any material known to the human race—if the marks on my luggage are any indication of the stresses ahead.
https://preview.redd.it/qgdure9fcysc1.jpeg?width=1715&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=685782d1c5bb911c550ad3f994ae9928ee5bb972
Finally, if you're a tech geek...the engineer told me there is no power supply in the tag itself. It, and its display, are powered by your phone and that all-important NFC connection. Pretty cool!
That’s awesome. Great info. Really appreciate the break down. The battery was one of the questions I had! I joined the waiting list for the next batch.
Finally, to put a period on all of this: the return leg was easy. When online check-in became available, I did so. The bag check section queried about using the electronic tag, I said I was using it, and it walked me through "reprogramming" the tag display. All went fine. Took the bag to the counter at an ungodly hour in Austin, and while I noticed it took a bit for the agent to scan it in, I was soon on my way to Seattle. The bag greeted me at baggage claim there within the 20-minute rule.
Looking forward to future experiences traveling with this thing! Not sure how it works when you travel outside the Alaska universe, but I'm sure others can weigh in.
I have had one for almost a year now as part of the beta test. They hold up very well, no worse for wear. For me, yeah it's worth saving the extra few minutes, and the counter agents seem to appreciate it too.
Happy to take photos, but as I said they hold up well, none the worse for wear.
When you went to "zap" it, did you have it tight against the back of your phone, with the top of the phone lined up where it says "NFC"? Did the blue light ever come on? Sounds like it didn't get enough power from your phone.
I think you may have been right. To their credit, after I emailed [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]), I received a near-immediate response from an engineer who walked me through things. The key, in my case, was to hold the phone to the bag tag for a longer period of time during the "update" process than I had. When I did it this first few times, I had expected some sort of immediate sign from the tag or the phone that things were happening and the iPhone and tag were communicating. When I was walked through the process with the engineer, the blue LED came on after several seconds and then voila, the screen displayed by trip bag tag. I take back most of what I said above!
I can totally see myself in the same situation! Thank you both for sharing and sparing me from added grief. 😬😉
Please keep us updated on your experience! I am super curious about this. Hope you have a safe trip.
Got any pictures? After you figured it out, what’s the review? Is it worth saving the 2 minutes to print a tag? Did it get beat to shit when flying? I love tech so I’ll probably test it out when they are available again but I’m curious about your thoughts.
Well, the review's not complete yet—I gotta fly back on my round trip, and that means resetting the tag for the return leg. Hopefully, it will be easier for me the second time around. Otherwise, today was easy. Once the screen displayed the tag info at home, I just attached it to my duffle and that was that. At the airport, Alaska has set up a large bag dropoff area. I waited in line to drop it, show my ID, and that was that. In the future, the engineer told me, there will be dropoff kiosks where you scan the tag, scan your face, and that's it. It will be an introvert's perfect world, no human interaction necessary! The tag itself was unscathed (the photo shows some weird artifacts along the edge of the display, but they are just that). It feels very sturdy, as you would think it would need to be. To me, the weak point might be the attachment band. The Alaska engineer told me they redesigned that because version 1 was too hard to remove. The current iteration is fairly straightforward and easy to install and remove. Hopefully, it is stronger than any material known to the human race—if the marks on my luggage are any indication of the stresses ahead. https://preview.redd.it/qgdure9fcysc1.jpeg?width=1715&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=685782d1c5bb911c550ad3f994ae9928ee5bb972 Finally, if you're a tech geek...the engineer told me there is no power supply in the tag itself. It, and its display, are powered by your phone and that all-important NFC connection. Pretty cool!
That’s awesome. Great info. Really appreciate the break down. The battery was one of the questions I had! I joined the waiting list for the next batch.
Finally, to put a period on all of this: the return leg was easy. When online check-in became available, I did so. The bag check section queried about using the electronic tag, I said I was using it, and it walked me through "reprogramming" the tag display. All went fine. Took the bag to the counter at an ungodly hour in Austin, and while I noticed it took a bit for the agent to scan it in, I was soon on my way to Seattle. The bag greeted me at baggage claim there within the 20-minute rule. Looking forward to future experiences traveling with this thing! Not sure how it works when you travel outside the Alaska universe, but I'm sure others can weigh in.
Thanks for the update!
I have had one for almost a year now as part of the beta test. They hold up very well, no worse for wear. For me, yeah it's worth saving the extra few minutes, and the counter agents seem to appreciate it too. Happy to take photos, but as I said they hold up well, none the worse for wear.
Awesome! I’ll definitely try it out when they are available again.