Another Kickstarter project has caught my attention, this time a project called Casetop. The project design is intended to utilize the processing power and connectivity of your mobile phone handset to create a laptop experience while not degrading your phone battery in the process.
The Casetop incorporates connectivity with Android, Blackberry and yes, even iOS devices. Indeed, it will work with any smartphone that has Bluetooth and video output capabilities. The full list of phones is fairly extensive and you can view the full list of compatible devices on the Casetop website
The design
From all descriptors available, the design is very smart. The casetop is built in small sections with interchangeable parts which are cost effective in the event of a breakage. They’ve also included an amount of customization, specifically in the colors you can order as well as the type and number of front bars (the way your various mobile devices can clip into the casetop)
On their kickstarter page the makers of casetop comment on their design and quality by stating:
Glass covered LED LCD Display, full-size island-style keyboard. Think Apple, ASUS, Sony, this won’t be netbook quality. No large and complex motherboard, no RAM, no difficult heat management. Just a beautiful screen, wonderful Polycarbonate and a huge battery.
The specs
- 11.1 Inch 720p HD LED Backlit LCD Screen (Stretch Goal for 1080p)
- 56 Watt Hour Battery Pack (Est. Equivalent of a 6 Cell Laptop pack)
- Full size 78-key keyboard (Island-style, think Sony, Apple, IBM)
- 2x 1 Watt High Fidelity Speakers
- 1x Standard HDMI Input
- 1x MHL Video Input, Power Output. Dual mode Micro USB.
- 1x 3.5mm Audio Output
- 1x Full-size ‘Always Powered’ USB for charging other products
- Thickness: 0.8 inches closed, bottom is 0.375 inches thick.
It’s not the cheapest accessory going for an Android device, at US $250.00 + a $20 international shipping fee, you really should want something like this device to make the investment. However, keep in mind that like many electronic devices if you take care of this; as an accessory to your mobile device this could last you far longer than any mobile phone and therefore the investment across time will be a very reasonable one.
Is the casetop something that might interest you? Have they missed the mark with the cost? Let us know in the comments below
Editor’s note: As is usually the case when we post KickStarter projects on Ausdroid, our writer’s personal opinion is just that — his personal opinion. We don’t offer any endorsement or guarantee of any products that use KickStarter to raise funds, and if you invest money and you don’t end up with a product that you expected, unfortunately that’s not something that we can help. Caveat emptor.
