
The creators of Coin, the Bluetooth-enabled “connected card,” recently announced that they would have to delay a full launch next year. The company did mention that they would begin to send out 10,000 “beta” units to pre-order customers sooner than that though. The executives cited manufacturing issues explaining the delay.
As of right now, at least 1,000 customers have already been issued preproduction Coin units and the company is set to expand that to at least 10,000 instead of the full launch. The Coin backers will be receiving emails in the next few days, allowing them to claim their beta device.
For those of you who aren’t knowledgeable about it, Coin works by loading card information using a companion smartphone app and dongle which connects to the Coin via Bluetooth. Each of the Coin card devices can store up to eight cards at a time in its onboard memory. Users will be able to press a small button on the device itself which will allow them to switch between cards and displays the card that is currently selected on a small e-ink screen embedded on the device.
The device has been under much scrutiny given several security implications and lack of support for emerging chip-and-signature standards that have become standard in the US. The company plans to send through its first shipment of the device and spend resources on an R&D project after having done so.
What do you think of the Coin? Is it something you would like to try out?
Source: CNET via AppleInsider
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