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Retractable Spixi iPhone 5 cable sports authentication chip

Looking for a third-party retractable Lightning-to-USB cable? The Spixi, which looks a lot like a retractable measuring tape, may be for you.

Jacqueline Seng
Jacqueline Seng is a presenter/writer for CNET Asia, focusing on mobile phones. Her induction into the world of IT involved typing out stories on a computer in kindergarten -- not that much has changed.
Jacqueline Seng
Spixi
The connector is sideways, which minimizes the size of the design and lessens the chance that the connector will get damaged. Escargot

Ever since we started using the iPhone 5, we've either been carting the Lightning-to-USB cable around or had to go out and buy a spare.

Those pesky cables, however, have a tendency to get tangled in our bags, as well as cause a mess on our desks, so we were intrigued when we spotted the Spixi from New York-based Escargot on Kickstarter.

The 2-foot-long retractable charging cable is housed in a slim and sleek-looking polycarbonate case and appears similar to a measuring tape. Interestingly, the iPhone 5-compatible cable contains an authentication chip, which Escargot claims is "coordinating with Apple through an MFi-certified manufacturer."

Currently seeking funding with a month to go, Spixi is also available in 30-pin and micro-USB options for older iPhones and other smartphones. A $17 pledge gets you one cable.

The only probable downside here has to be waiting till February of next year for the Spixi to start shipping, when other alternatives may have already popped up in the market.

Spixi
Spixi is slightly wider than the typical USB flash drive. Escargot

(Source: Crave Asia)