Other than tracking things on a piece of paper or in Excel (or similar), do you use or know of an ANDROID app that will keep track of borrowed or lent things?

It would have to keep info in the cloud so that if I reset my phone, upgrade it, etc. the info isn't lost.
It would be nice if the app had cross platform capability so I can open it on my office PC, but that's not critical.

I found few apps so far.
"I lend you", "I.O.U.", "Where is my stuff", and few others, but wanted to hear your opinions.

Background info:
I spent hours looking for my framing nail gun yesterday.
Over 2 hours of actual search, + rest of the day distracted, thinking about possible people I could have lent the tool too. I texted and called several friends and family members.
Frustrated and embarrassed, I posted on Facebook about it.
Friend remembered borrowing it and I got my item back :-)

Not to sound like a smart ass. Whats wrong with the note pad in the phone. And you can back it up where ever. Why not take a mug shot of theperson holding the tool. That way if they do not return it you can have them arrested saying you snapped this picture as they made off with the goods.

I'm not saying it would not work.
Problem with random notepads, stickies, pictures, etc. for me is that:
1. I have to remember where I placed them
2. I have to remember when I took it
3. I have to remember where I filed them (documents, TXT or the picture

I'm thinking that an app that's designed for the task will make it easier.
Remembering to open it and document the next loaned item... that's another story.

Create a word or excel doc called "IOU" or "Don't Forget About This" or "This is that fuc**ing document with all the info I don't want to ever forget" and save it on dropbox.

The name of the note would be NAILGUN. Not sure how you would miss it.

Why not make a Google doc?

RFID.

You could use voice messages and then transcribe them later.

So,


You loan an item out, you SHOULD know about when they're going to be done with it. Right?

Use your cell phone to set up an appointment tickler under the scheduler, for that date, with the persons name and the item they borrowed.

Your phone will let you know when it's time to get your item back.

K?


P.S. If you don't have the app on your phone (my Samsung flip phone doesn't), you could probably load one on it. I have also seen some for a laptop/PC. All else fails, find an old Blackberry and use it for this purpose only. I'm doing that with an old one, and I do believe they all have the program on them.

I like this idea.

Sounds like someone's been watching CSI without thinking things through. You know, the TV show where, for several seasons, when they were looking at computer screens to read information, the info on the computer screen was actually projected onto their faces and bodies for dramatic, and technically knee-slapping laughable, effect.

The quotes below are from various places at [Link: electronics.howstuffworks.com]


That is, when Mario wants to know where his nail gun is, he turns on his reader, which sends out a signal to all the RFID chips in the world.


Well, that's out unless the nail gun happens to be within a few feet, maybe a few inches, of his scanner.

Regarding active tags:

So ultimately the guy with the nail gun has to have left the nail gun within about a hundred feet, perhaps 300 feet in the future.

The article says passive RFIDs cost between a nickel and twenty cents, and the RFID's goal is a five cent chip; the article doesn't even take a wild stab at the price of an active unit. That tells me they are now so expensive that the article doesn't want to risk turning off a potential user by revealing today's price.

So for the present, and probably forever, you've got to give up the idea promoted by TV shows that if your dog is stolen from you in Chicago, doing some kind of RFID search is going to make him light up in New Orleans, instantly revealing his location. They don't even want to talk about a hundred feet of range.


This could work but has the same drawbacks as notes or computer files PLUS the added step of transcribing the message.

Thanks, though. I know a lot more about RFIDs than I did a few minutes ago!

Thanks for the suggestions.
I like the reminder idea in the phone.
I looked into Androids reminder few weeks ago.
Apparently it's a half baked solution. Like when you say "Remind me to call Brendon at noon". Once set, apparently its not easy to find it, and almost impossible to update it.

Does anyone use an Android app for reminders that's easy to review, edit and data syncs between devices? Again, I'm worry about loaning an item to someone for 6 months and upgrading or factory resetting the phone in 3 months, therefore losing all local information.
I like Outlook's tasks functions but don't use windows phone and I can't count on remembering to walk into the office after I loan an item to someone.

We use Evernote. Don't think it has notifications yet but works perfect for everything else

Before you find a solution, can I borrow your new tractor? Hoping you forget who you lent it to :-D

And an RFID interrogator could easily be used to do a weekly inventory of all tools. Does this comment imply a little understanding of how RFID works? I certainly hope so but you might want to can the attitude & assumptions about peoples' knowledge. I know how they work. I know it's not a long-range system but 100m isn't bad when monitoring nearby objects. It would be possible to use active RFID if an object is to be located but I don't think I would want to use it on a living thing because I'm not sure if the resulting RF transmission would be safe for it.

Glad to see that you know more than you did before. The goal when I first looked int RFID in 2006 was for passive transponders to cost a penny but as far as the high cost of active ones, omitting the price is moot because anyone who really wants to know about them will discover the cost soon enough.

Also, from the same site, the range of active RFID can be boosted to about 100m by using more batteries, passive is effective up to about 6m.

[Link: electronics.howstuffworks.com]

FWIW, what you called a scanner is usually called an interrogator and the tags are called transponder.

You want to buy my old Nextel Blackberry?


The scheduler in it just plain works, can be edited, and since the phone is a dead in the water thing, it'd never need an upgrade.


Actually I won't sell it, but maybe you can find one like it, and keep it just for this sort of thing.