Fund this: WonderCube packs 7 handy features into 1 cubic inch
A seriously versatile keychain accessory, this little cube converts into a sync cable, kickstand, flashlight, and whole lot more.
Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are awash in multipurpose mobile gizmos, most of them variations on the Swiss Army Knife theme, and most of them resembling an extra-thick credit card.
The WonderCube embraces that same theme, but in cube form. It's seven, seven, seven handy mobile accessories in one, and I mean that literally: one cubic inch.
What could such a diminutive device possibly offer? For starters, it can unfurl a USB connector from one side and a Micro-USB or Lightning cable from the other. This twosome serves two functions: syncing and charging your mobile devices.
That USB connector also hides a microSD slot, so now you've got a memory-card reader as well. You can use it with an Android phone or tablet, as the Micro-USB end supports USB OTG, or you can just plug the cube into a laptop for traditional card-reading.
There's no backup battery inside the WonderCube -- not for your smartphone, anyway -- but if you flip up a panel on one side, you can connect a 9-volt battery for emergency phone power. (One 9-volt is good for about 3.5 hours of extra talk time, according to the developer.) That's pretty cool.
Another side features micro-suction cups that can adhere to the back of your phone, thus turning the WonderCube into a kickstand of sorts that allows for both portrait and landscaping viewing.
Finally, there's a built-in LED flashlight, always a handy thing to have on your keychain -- and that's where the cube is intended to travel.
A newly launched Indiegogo campaign is seeking $50,000 in funding; as of press time it had raised about $10,000. Early-bird backers can get a WonderCube for $45, with shipping scheduled for August. The product is expected to retail for $69.
Your thoughts? Is this something you'd like to see dangling from your keychain?