I would love a smart wallet that doubles my money. Tuck in a five spot and boom! Alexander Hamilton.
That would be a magic wallet. A good smart wallet, though, can help protect you from losing your money.
At least, that is the idea behind the ultra-thin Ekster Smart Wallet, which provides RFID blocking to keep credit cards secure and has a GPS tracking device that communicates with a smartphone app when the wallet is out of range or even lost.
The Ekster wallet can be pre-ordered on Kickstarter for $75. After hitting the crowd-funding website Tuesday, it raised close to $10,000 in its first few hours and is well under way of shooting past its goal of $16,000.
The calfskin leather wallet comes in black or coffee brown and has a number of features, security aside, that make it a highly functional carry without the bulk of the traditional billfold.
The wallet comes with a small trigger that presents your cards without opening the wallet. The Ekster Senate holds up to eight cars while the Parliament (for an extra $20) holds 12. A band holds folded cash on the outside.
Photo: Ekster
But Ekster may be most attractive for the features that are hidden. RFID blocking prevents the tech-savvy thief from skimming your information. Thieves can use computers to send signals that retrieve data off your cards. Ekster’s aluminum cardholder blocks out those signals.
A tracker inside the Ekster wallets also alerts you via your iPhone or Android handset when you’ve left your wallet behind. If you are out of range, other users of Ekster’s tracking app will get the signal and it will automatically send you a GPS update. If you lose your phone, a button on the wallet will help you find it by activating your phone’s ringer.
The tracker battery lasts up to six months on a charge, according to the company, and can be recharged with a slim built-in USB port.
If all goes well with fundraising and production schedules, the Ekster will ship by May.
Why the name Ekster? Based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the company was inspired by the magpie, a thieving bird known in that country as an Ekster.
