we often talk about trimming down our wallets to prevent it from growing out proportion and turning into George Costanza’s “morbidly obese” wallet. while minimalist wallet kinds do it, it doesn’t really take a stab at the core of the problem and that core happens to be ‘cards’. you have got credit cards, debit cards, gift cards, membership cards and more, and sometimes dilemma just sets in on which cards should forsake to go minimal. but with the Coin All-in-One Credit Card, you can have access to all your cards with just a single card, and this one card is also the size of a regular credit card and therefore, allowing you to truly go minimal with your wallet. getting started is as easy as a pie: all you need is a credit card reader (supplied) and the Coin app. just swipe whatever cards you desire, take a picture of the card so you know what card it is and you are all set.
the Coin uses low-power Bluetooth to connect to your iOS and Android device, so those information you have loaded will be available to your Coin without needing you to do anything else. there’s a Coin branding on the card which is also a button to toggle between the cards, while a display (no information on this, but presumably an e-ink sort of display) lets you know the current selected card. just toggle to the card you want to use and swipe it like a regular card. the Coin is constantly connected to your phone via low-energy Bluetooth and so in the event the two devices stray too far apart, the phone will alert you so that you will never leave that one most valuable thing behind. having said that, if the Coin goes out of contact with your phone for too long (configurable in the Coin app), it will automatically be deactivated for security reason, which kind of gives you a peace of mind and avoid nasty surprise bills.
as of now, the Coin is designed for use in the US (though it may work in other countries, but no guarantee on that aspect) and does not support chip and pin (EMV), so those residing outside of the US, do take note. you can pre-order the Coin All-in-One Credit Card now for $50 plus shipping. shipment is expected to be in Summer 2014. check out a sleek product promo clip in the embedded video below to learn more.
Coin via TechCrunch