Findables case turns your entire smartphone into a business card
A unique QR code allows others to scan your case for professional and/or social-network info, or even to help return a lost phone or tablet.
QR codes haven't exactly set the world on fire, yet most people know what they are, and most phones can scan them, either out of the box or with a third-party app.
The Findables Case takes that idea to heart by emblazoning a unique QR code on each hard-plastic shell, the idea being to use that code to share information about yourself or help recover your lost phone.
In other words, your case can now take the place of your business card, while at the same time offering good Samaritans a means of contacting you (that doesn't involve poring through your address book).
When someone scans the code, they'll see one of three profiles (chosen by you via a companion app or the Findables Web site): Business, Social, or Lost.
Business provides the aforementioned biz-card alternative, meaning whatever professional contact information you want to share. Social steers the information toward things like your Facebook and Twitter accounts, while Lost provides basic recovery info and, if you wish, a reward offer.
The case itself is available for iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5, iPad 3 and 4, iPad Mini, and Galaxy S3. Color options vary from one model to another, but mostly they're in the pastel family. I'm currently road-testing a green one on my iPhone 4S, and it's a decent shell: hard plastic, but thin and unassuming, with a two-piece design that's easy enough to remove if need be. (I didn't have much need; the case posed no problem with various speaker docks.)
The phone and iPad versions sell for $29.95, while the Smart Cover-equipped Mini edition runs $49.95. Those prices strike me as a bit high for something that offers little more than basic protection, though obviously there's some cost associated with imprinting custom QR codes.
I can see where a Findables case might prove popular among business users, though I can't help wondering if enough people are sufficiently acquainted with QR code scanning to make this worthwhile. Your thoughts?