Gear Diary Flomio Rolls Out Its Latest Product, the FloCase, to Bring NFC to Apple iOS Devices photo

In the ordinary course of events, we here at Gear Diary don’t usually tell you twice about the same Kickstarter project.  We don’t have the time or space, and we don’t like to repeat ourselves.  But in this case, this is a pretty major addition to an ongoing Kickstarter project that we mentioned only a few days ago, so we thought you should know about it.

In brief, the guys who are developing the FloJack NFC plug-in device for iDevices have done something that I think is hella smart:  They’ve developed a case that does the same thing as the plugin device.  Which is funny, because when I was doing the FloJack piece in the first place I was thinking, “Huh, that sounds okay, but I’d rather have it in a case.”  And bam, here it is!

Project Title: FloJack / FloCase – NFC Reader/Writers for iPhone and iPad

Status: Active

Closing Date for Funding: 11/26/2012

URL of the Project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flomio/flojack-nfc-for-ipad-and-iphone?ref=live

Gear Diary Flomio Rolls Out Its Latest Product, the FloCase, to Bring NFC to Apple iOS Devices photo

From the Creatives: Flomio, a Miami-based TechStars Cloud 2012 company, hit the creative lab to develop a slim iPhone case that brings NFC (“Near Field Communication”) to users.  Inspired by the Kickstarter community, Flomio listened to their backer’s feedback regarding the current FloJack dongle design.  Soon after, the FloCase came to fruition.  Flomio is now offering the NFC-packed case as a new pledge level ($99) on their Kickstarter page.

TouchTip Design

Right now, with most phones, to scan an NFC tag, you must position your phone flush against the tag’s surface. You end up contorting and twisting your wrist in a strange and uncomfortable way, searching for the scan zone. Flomio calls that the “Wrist Twist.” With the FloCase’s TouchTip antenna, a sloped tip similar to a shark’s nose, the NFC touch becomes a natural movement, simply an extension of your fingertip.

Rubber Case Lock and Exterior

The FloCase will be crafted from Polycarbonate material for durability and slimness. Metal would interfere with NFC transmission. Sustainable natural rubber, as opposed to silicon, will be used for added protection.  A case lock will also be created from the rubber material.  Using these materials, the user can easily slip the phone in and out of the case.  Flomios says it is much simpler than dealing with the hassle of interlocking pieces.

Coin Battery Well

The team at Flomio spent a great deal of time brainstorming ways to make this case slim despite the need for a battery.  The conductive touch points for the CR2032 attery are built into the case itself.   One side is embedded into the polycarbonate case, and the other side is built into the rubber battery flap.  The user simply inserts the coin into the battery well located in the flap, and plugs it into the case.

The FloCase is available now as a new pledge option on Flomio’s Kickstarter page.  It is listed for $99.  At retail, the FloCase’s MSRP is $129.99.

What is NFC?

When an NFC device comes close enough to a tag, a chip inside sends a stored message.  This little message then tells your phone to do something.  For instance, the Zapps can open apps, play music, or launch videos.  Users can even program the tags to give a friend directions, schedule a meeting or send reminders- just to name a few.

Additionally, new connections can be made between two NFC-enabled phones.  Users can digitally transfer content, photos, videos and more just by touching devices.

Gear Diary Flomio Rolls Out Its Latest Product, the FloCase, to Bring NFC to Apple iOS Devices photo

Tags: , ,



Doug is a nerd from way back, falling for a Commodore PET at the age of 15, and never looking back. Riding the nerd wave, he got a Computer Science degree and entered the tech industry at a young age, deciding after a year and a half of front-line phone technical support that he should try something, *anything* else. He settled on technical writing, and has been cranking out documentation for companies like Unisys, SGI, Cisco, Juniper, and many others ever since. He is nothing short of ecstatic to be working for H-P from his home base in Austin.
  • loopyduck

    “Right now, with most phones, to scan an NFC tag, you must position your phone flush against the tag’s surface. You end up contorting and twisting your wrist in a strange and uncomfortable way, searching for the scan zone. ”

    I just realized something amusing: anyone who has a massive phone like the DNA or Note/Note II will have an easier time of it, since they can simply grasp on end of their phone and tap the other end on the scanner :)

    Anyway, too bad the case is only for the iPhone 4 and 4S.



Dungeon of Elements Game Launches Kickstarter Campaign

Dungeon of Elements

I continue to be amazed at the crazy-cool ideas that indie developers come up with. Years after being declared ‘dead’, [...]

iStabilizer tabMount Holds Your Tablet Right

I’m a huge fan of the various products from iStabilizer. From their Flex smartphone holder to their Glass, to their [...]

Enervee Takes Comparison Shopping to a New, Energy Concious Level

There are a million ways to shop by price online. You can sort lowest to highest, seek sale items, look [...]

Reminder: Write Up Evernote Reminder Update for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Web

This morning Evernote brought word they were adding a key functionality that many have long requested. Yes, as of today [...]

InteliScope Introduces Geek to Tactical Rifles

Anyone who reads my posts knows I love to hunt and love to shoot. In fact, I just received my [...]

XBOX One Fallout – No XBOX or X360 Games, No Indies, No Used Games, and More

Xbox One - What about Gaming?

Well, THAT didn’t take long! In fewer than a dozen hours the XBOX One reveal went from being exciting … [...]