You know what’s the most annoying word in this whole technology song and dance? The word “revolutionary.” It’s a word that should only be applied to certain items. In the official CrunchGear chat room, we decided that we’d use the word to describe the iPhone (first mass market touchscreen smartphone), the Wii (it prints money), personal GPS (see Jerry Seinfeld’s take on GPS-assisted tech here), 3G/fast Internet everywhere (for Twitter, obviously) and Barack Obama. Now, nothing against Flipside Wallets, but its Flipside Wallet, fundamentally, is merely a wallet. Using the word “revolutionary” here is probably not appropriate. But what does it actually do?
Well, it’s a wallet. Wallets hold paper currency and various cards, be they of the credit or business variety. Flipside does do a few tricks that your current wallet probably doesn’t, though calling it “revolutionary” is a bit of a stretch. For starters it’s hard. Like, it’s made of tough plastic and not cheap, imitation leather. It also flips open like every cellphone in 2004 did, so that’s neat. There’s a lock to prevent prying eyes from accessing its contents. It prevents card de-magnetization, which happened to me in a very embarrassing episode in Berlin hotel last year. Oh, and it has RFID shielding, which isn’t exactly new.
So the wallet is neat, certainly; it may even be worth the $45 Flipside wants for it. But, frankly, we’re a little tired of seeing the word “revolutionary” like it’s worthless. Once upon a time the word really meant something, now it just means an iPod dock that glows in the dark.
This post… revolutionary.
Nah, I’m going to support this “revolutionary” claim. It is certainly a radical departure in a lot of ways; hardshell, seperate areas for cash and cards, all the other ‘features.’ I’m not saying I would buy one, but it certainly seems different enough (in these days) to use the term revolutionary – especially if the examples you provide are the measure.
I also support the revolutionary claim. If you visit the website you learn more about it. I like how helpful the clear slots are inside the wallet. The locking shut thing is also a big plus–i lose things out of my wallet all the time.
Sounds incredibly similar to a purse.
Livin the revolution baby
Seems to big and hard to fit in back pocket and be comfortable.
Seriously? For 45$ maybe if it had a biometric print reader or something, maybe act as a usb device, the cool geek factor is simple not there IMO. RFID credit cards? Insane, I laughed at my bank when they tried to issue me one of those (and we where a test market). Course if your dumb enough to take one, would you be smart enough to know it needs protecting?
My pet peeve is not revolutionary (though I can totally see it) but ‘Guru’ *shudder*
http://www.starhotspot.com/
Or for $15 you can get a Jimi Wallet (http://thejimi.com/wallet/index.php) if you’re not concerned with RFID and a lock… Been carrying one for a couple years and love it.
Avis +1
Crunchgear doesn’t seem to be telling the whole story here. I visited the flipside’s website and saw the wallet is actually pretty small, and looks like it fits in a pocket fine. Also, all the interiors seem to be made of a strong, clear plastic that lets you see all of your stuff easier. Pretty neat to me.