What's Cool in Tech? Tile, Nuzzel, Service

PLAYA VISTA, Calif: - What’s the coolest new app, website or tech device we’ve encountered this week?

We kicked off the new segment on our #TalkingTech Roundtable show by posing the question to our panelists--and got some great replies.

--theSkimm: The daily newsletter that “makes it easier to be smarter,” is a new favorite for Mashable’sSaba Hamedy. It offers short, sassy takes on the news, “and is great for making news relatable to millennials,” she says.

A new $2.99 subscription app goes further by looking ahead at upcoming concerts, TV shows and movies, and puts their release dates into your calendar. “It’s an interesting way to get young people more aware, because not everyone uses Twitter,” she adds.

--Service. Michael Jones, the CEO of tech incubator Science, Inc. uses the Service website and app for “on demand customer service,” to take care of disputes with airlines and other brands.

“Hold music shouldn’t be the soundtrack of your life,” says the company.

Service “will handle any customer dispute you have,” says Jones. “Every single time I’ve opened a case with them, they’ve returned me money.”

Service says it’s gotten delivery fees waived on such items as late deliveries, credits for poor service at restaurants and appointment times prioritized.

Pushing your dispute to Service is free--so what’s the business model? The company says it is trying to make a name for itself before it starts adding fees.

--Nuzzel. Andy Yang, the CEO of photo sharing site 500px likes the news aggregation site Nuzzel, which bills itself as “news from friends and influencers.” Yang says he enjoys it, because he gets to be in control of what he’s reading. “I’m into the curation aspect of what people follow,” he says.

--TILE - The little white $25 bluetooth square is a godsend to find lost keys, wallets and the like. It’s been out for awhile, but I recently bought 4 for $70 on Amazon, and they’ve been ringing at our house every day.

The Tile looks like a little white square with a hole in it--I connected it to my keychain, and inserted one in my wallet.

To start using it, you download the app first, then sync the unit with your phone. Each tile syncs to a specific device.

Then, when you can’t find the item of choice--double click the E button on the Tile itself, and it emits a ringtone powered by the phone to the lost item--your ears then track it down. The Tile app also provides an Uber like map to help guide you.

Beyond keys and wallet, Tile also recommends using it for luggage and remote controls. The remote makes sense--but for luggage, don’t think about inserting it in the bag itself--the tone would be muffled. Instead, just place it on your luggage tag. And help the airlines find your bag if they can’t.

What about the biggest lost item of them all--the phone? Tile recommends syncing a Tile fob to the phone, and placing the fob in a prominent position in the home--like on the wall. Then, when you can’t find your phone, just double click the E on the Tile and the familiar tone starts ringing.

I recommend the 4-pack, because you and the wife, husband, kids, friends, whatever, will clearly put them to good use.

And that’s our “What’s Cool in Tech” wrap-up for the week. We’ll be back next week with another edition.

Follow USA TODAY tech columnist and #TalkingTech host Jefferson Graham on Twitter, @jeffersongraham.