Every morning, I come to the office with my bag over my shoulder, a coffee in my left hand, and my phone in my right. That means I end up using my shoulder or elbow to push open the doors, elevator buttons, and so on.
OK, so I could just slip my phone back into my bag – or I could get a Clipless, or what’s being branded as a “mobile device mounting system [that] makes life easier.”
With its makers based in Port Hope, Ont., the Clipless was originally launched on Kickstarter in 2013, raising almost $44,000 in funding, though its goal was $25,000. It comes with two main pieces – a connector, which is a little oval-shaped piece that sticks onto the back of a phone case, and a mount that can use near field communication (NFC) technology.
The connector allows Clipless to stick mobile devices like phones and tablets, or their cases, to any flat surface or to clothing. It works on almost any surface, except silicone rubber or genuine leather, and it sticks to almost any clothing material, including denim. There’s also a magnet that is supposed to be strong enough to hold a 12-pound sledgehammer, so it should keep a mobile device in place when stuck to a user’s clothing, even if he or she is running.
The NFC-enabled mount allows a user’s phone or tablet to launch specific apps, once the phone is mounted to something. By partnering with NFC Task Launcher app, it can be programmed to do certain tasks like launching GPS once it’s set up in a car, or automatically firing up a recipe app once a device is mounted in the kitchen.
The Clipless clothing package and surface package now sells for about $35 and can be ordered here.
How It Works 2014 – Clothing & Surface from Jeffrey McLarty on Vimeo.