Andrew O'Hara
After failing to materialize in 2022, Rolling Square is committed to launching two Find My-enabled cards in 2023 — and we got to check them out early.
Rolling Square offers a wide variety of Apple-centric accessories. The Chipolo Card Spot or Rolling Square's offering were competing to be the first Find My-enabled wallet tracker to hit the market.
The company tells us that manufacturing woes led to a delayed launch, so "first" didn't quite work out. Now they are ready with two different versions of its Find My tracker that received their official MFi certification via Apple.
While at CES 2023, Rolling Square had both models on display, and we got to try them out ahead of the final launch.
Originally, Rolling Square had one Find My card promised that included a replaceable battery. Now, the company has revamped that version but is also releasing a unique model with a non-replaceable battery.
Swappable batteries
Like last year's, the Rolling Square AirCard E has user-replaceable batteries. This is easy to do, with a battery compartment that holds a trio of CR2016 cell batteries.
A sliding lock opens AirCard E and allows the two halves to separate. Even with the user-replaceable batteries, Rolling Square got the card thinner than last year's, going from 2.8mm to 2.6mm, or roughly the size of two credit cards.
One side of the card allows the Bluetooth signal to pass through its ABS plastic frame, and the other is metal. The metal side is anodized aluminum to give the card a solid, premium feel.
It still has a speaker, this time 126dB, so it can be triggered when you need to find it, and it packs all other Find My accessories such as worldwide tracking, left behind alerts, and anti-stalking alerts.
The standard AirCard
The standard version of Rolling Square's AirCard lacks the swappable batteries but boasts other features to make up for it.
This card model still has a CNC metal body on one side, but the other is clear, drawing inspiration from the Nothing phone. The clear side uses 9H hardened glass that will prevent scratches.
You can see all the internal workings of the card with the clear side and Rolling Square labels some such parts, reminding us of the schematic-like Grid frames.
Unfortunately, because of the updated design, the speaker is slightly quieter at only 114db. If buried in your wallet, which is then buried in a couch or pile of clothes, it could be harder to hear than initially intended.
What will also set the AirCard apart is its digital business card features. One side has a scannable QR code, while the other has an NFC chip. By tapping the card, you can open up a pre-defined link.
This is similar to POPL in that you could use it as a business card, a social media site, a LinkTree landing page, and more. Rolling Square says this should remain tappable, even while inside your wallet.
The NFC portion is recessed on the aluminum side of the card and is covered in another small piece of glass. The QR code is the fallback for devices that cannot scan the NFC tag.
On this version of the AirCard, the battery will last two and a half years, at which point you'll need to recycle your card and purchase a new one. Rolling Square offers a 50% discount when you return your old card for recycling and purchase a new one.
Both versions of the AirCard are expected to be released later this year. AppleInisder will have reviews at launch. You can learn more on Rolling Square's site.
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6 Comments
Andrew, any comments on thickness compared to the Chipolo card spot, which I still find to be somewhat thicker than ideal. Also, from the look of the photos, it appears that the Aircard E is thinner than the standard Aircard... is that true or just the angle of the photos? I would have expected the E version to be thicker to accommodate user replaceable batteries.
Do these work with the iPhone’s U1 chip for precise locating?
I must be missing something with find my. Earlier this evening I spent 10 minutes walking round the house with my iPhone 14 Pro trying to find my AirPods Pro’s. Find my said they were last seen in my house two days ago. It suggested I keep moving around. Play sound, or find nearby didn’t show up anything.
eventually I realised I had the AirPods with me the whole time in another pocket. Doh! I opened the case and got a whole load of notifications and beeps. Too late!