Anti Explosion Smartphone Pouch

Ever since the “flaming” Samsung Note 7 fiasco, smartphone users have become increasingly conscious about safety concerns. These risks also meant more business opportunities for smartphone accessories developers. I mean, these companies started releasing all kinds of fancy pouches with features, such as; reinforced this, reinforced that, anti-flammable cloth – so on and so forth.

However, nothing comes close to what the guys at Exploshield have released recently. They are working on a state of the art shock proof, bomb proof, flame proof and whatever-you-could-think-of proof smartphone protective pouch which is said to have an A-Class armor rating. If exploding batteries and cellphones are your biggest concern these days, you should definitely consider buying one of the Exploshield products.

Who is Exploshield?

In case you are wondering, Exploshield is a Hong Kong based manufacturer. They have an office located in Australia, but the company is primarily working from Hong Kong. According to the company experts, it takes approx. $27,811 to create one bomb suit. They basically used the same technology, Kevlar plating and all that, and summed it down to a simple mobile phone pouch.

The end cost is reduced to a whopping $10 – $20. But here’s the tricky thing; the Exploshield Mobile Phone pouch project is still underway at Kickstarter. They have 18 days left until campaign funding stops. So far, Exploshield Limited has raised over $57,000 of $80,000, which is attributed to their aggressive updates and marketing.

Would You Buy It?

If it were up to me, I’d definitely buy the Exploshield Abs Anti Explosion smartphone cover/ pouch. It is not just for securing smartphones; you can keep your portable mobile phone power banks, important items and fragile equipment in the pouch as well. They have also introduced a number of Kevlar layer protected pockets inside the inner wall lining to help store cash, credit cards and such stuff.

And above all, Exploshield Ltd. successfully obtained the SGS Certification for Flammability test of clothing textile in May 2016. It was a milestone achievement for these guys and they immediately released a couple of videos where they used firecrackers to demonstrate the pouch’s outstanding performance.

With all jokes aside, you should consider buying an ABS protective cover or a storage pouch for your lithium ion based devices. Batteries can explode anytime without prior warning. Consider this as a small investment towards a more safe and regulated smartphone/ battery operated device usage. For more details, you can head over to the Exploshield Kickstarter page. They have detailed everything down to the last nail in the coffin.

The Caterpillar CAT S60 is as tough as nails, a smartphone for the adventurer in you!

CAT is a renowned name in the heavy equipment industry. You may have seen a couple of CAT bulldozers with the familiar CAT logo on it. I also adore their other products such as Caterpillar boots and shoes. The point being that the company is known for its high-grade items throughout the world. I mentioned boots because, for a construction equipment company, footwear sounds a little weird. But if you ever tried one of those CAT steel toed boots, you wouldn’t want to go back to other prissy brands anymore.

Anyhow, this article is about the CAT S60 smartphone, which is something that you don’t hear very often. As anyone could expect, they have created a brick-like mobile phone, which comes with certain distinct features that make it an absolute abomination to own. And I mean that in a good way. Since CAT is still getting used to creating smartphones; I don’t expect them to pose a threat to Samsung, Apple, and HTC.

In its own way, the S60 is one-of-a-kind device with FLIR Thermal Imaging technology, water resistant body and a Gorilla glass screen. This is certainly not a smartphone made for everyone’s taste, but it stays up to date regarding current technology & hardware – and that’s all the more reason to buy it. Still didn’t get it? Let me get it? Let me explain this in detail.

The Caterpillar CAT S60 Waterproof Smartphone is a Tough Son of a Gun!

Starting off with the build factor, all I can say is that this isn’t one of your fancy fragile phones. You can drop it without the fear of breaking or cracking the screen. The smartphone comes with a protective casing/ shell, which protects the device from bumps, thuds or accidental falls that typically occur when you’re in the bathroom performing your morning rituals with a mobile phone in one hand.

The CAT S60 smartphone is water submersible to over 5-meter depth. You can also use its camera for underwater photography, BUT the manufacturers do not recommend keeping it submerged for more than an hour. 60 minutes is one heck of a time frame, and when you top it off with a 5-meter depth, you can take some truly stunning photos when you are out canoeing with your buddies. There is a small safety switch on the phone that can be used to adjust its resistance against water pressure.

Precise Thermal Imaging Like You Ain’t Seen Before!

CAT S60 features a thermal camera, which is unlike any other cameras you’ve ever seen before. The company collaborated with FLIR, one of the biggest manufacturers of thermal imaging products in the market. FLIR’s integrated thermal imaging solution in the S60 smartphone gives other mobiles a run for the money.

The question is, are you going to buy the phone for the sake of this “cool” new feature that lets you see heat sources? Obviously, if you are a sensible man, you will think twice. This is a professional level thermal imaging camera, which means that the smartphone is not everyone’s cup of tea. CAT wanted to help those people who want to conserve energy or deal with a lot of things that involve temperature spikes.

If you ask me, I doubt it that you are in the energy sector as a professional. Most of the smartphone owners are just buying these devices for the sheer number of features in them. But if we speak for a practical handheld communication device, CAT S60 is the perfect match for you. Even if you are not in any energy-related field, you can still get some decent value for your money.

Think about locating your pet in the dark, think about discovering accidental fire hazards behind a locked door, think of detecting overheating electrical appliances that your clear eyesight cannot see. These are the kinds of scenarios where you can not only reserve energy, but you can also, God forbid, save someone’s life.

And yeah, there is the definite possibility that you can take as many photos, with the thermal sensor, as you like. They will look weird, but that’s up to you.

The Pricing Factor:

At $630, the CAT S60 water resistant smartphone will take a bite out of your wallet. But hey, if you want an amazing phone with applicable features, this is the right choice. In Australia and the U.K, the phone’s available for pre-order for up to AUD 900 & £530. Depending on whether your carrier is offering the phone in installments or on a contract basis, you can make the best choice.

T-Mobile and AT&T will be the only carriers available to the U.S. market (*as evident by various tech news blogs). I don’t know about the U.K and Australian market though. Your best bet would be to ask someone who is actually located there or consult with your local carrier. In conclusion, if you are a fan of a smartphone with a thick skin, CAT S60 is something to look forward to.

We’ve reached a point where it seems like there will be no groundbreaking innovations in smartphones or tablets. Sure, screen quality continues to improve, and each update to the camera blows away expectation, but the basic format for these devices seems set. Manufacturers have experimented with tiny smartphone screens and large smartphone screens, what else can they do?

If researchers at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, are to be believed, the answer is actually “plenty.” A research team developed MagicScroll, a cylindrical touchscreen device that actually unfurls into a 7.5 inch OLED display. Although it looks a bit flimsy, as a prototype it looks pretty impressive. The screen is clear and sharp and it completely reimagines the way we interact with a handheld device.

MagicScroll changes the game from square tablets and smartphones to something that is fully five-dimensional. There are physical dials on both ends that are used to scroll the device in cylinder mode, changing the way people interact with their device. The MagicScroll was made from two LG G Flex 2 displays measuring 2160 x 1920. In other words, these are two 5.5-inch Flex 2 displays spliced together, and a 3D-printed cylindrical body. The guts of the machine are two Android circuit boards, which run Android 5.1 Lollipop, along with three lithium-ion batteries. Two of the batteries are at 600mAh and are used to power the system. There is also a 300mAh battery to turn the actuated wheels on either side of the scroll. The rest are the usual component parts that are used in smartphones and tablets.

Although the MagicScroll may never be in production, the researchers believe that the future of smartphone technology lies in cylindrical screens and bendable holograms. The Queens University team has experimented with Organic User Interfaces, focusing on different shapes than the usual rectangle, as well as modes of display. Their first product was ReFlex, a smartphone featuring a flexible display. When the ReFlex is bent down, pages flipped through the fingers from right to left, mimicking the way you read a book. The more extreme the bend, the faster the page flip. In addition, users can actually feel the sensation of a page moving through the fingertip because the phone vibrates.

They have also created a Holoflex, which renders holographic images through being bent and manipulated by the user. Users don’t need to use 3D glasses to see the holographic properties.

Additionally, the research team came up with the MagicWand, which is a cylindrical interface that has users rotating it to see a gaming character from all sides, as if it were fully 3D.  The research team points out that smartphones are flat and aren’t great for gaming. They make weak controllers. MagicWand, on the other hand, is the very first handheld device with a 340-degree hi res display that has the same movement capability of a pointer stick.

There is no doubt that these devices would change the way that handheld devices are manipulated, requiring a learning curve for the user. Does this appeal to you? Do you think that the MagicScroll would be as intuitive as the smartphone? Comment below.