i-BLADES Smartcase Finalist for IOT Sensor Technology Showcase

MILPITAS, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 12, 2016) -   i-Blades Inc. has been chosen by MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) as one of the five finalists bringing new IOT solutions to market for the 2016 MEMS & Sensors Technology Showcase at the 2016 MEMS & Sensors Executive Congress on November 10.

The i-BLADES Smartcase, a modular phone case, has been nominated for this award because of its capability to bring the latest IOT related technologies to market faster than smartphones themselves. This is great news for consumers that want access to new experiences and functions. It's also great news for the micro sensor and IOT industries as they can get their technologies to the mobile market significantly faster than following the traditional route of being on a smartphone. The smartphone cycle can take up to 18 months.

In the rapidly expanding world of IOT, mobile devices must be at the heart of consumers growing use of IOT. However, with space in ever slimmer mobile devices at a premium, smartphones limit the number of sensors and chips they integrate. In fact, currently most smartphone have between 8 and 10. This limits IOT growth in this mass market segment and causes handheld device proliferation. IOT needs a mobile platform that can integrate all these different solutions and provide additional sensors and IOT use cases for a mobile user. The i-BLADES Smartcase is able to do this quickly.

The i-BLADES Smartcase is a phone case with built-in patented micro-thin smart technology. This creates a smart platform within the phone case. This smart platform lets users expand the capabilities of their smartphones by adding removable Smartblades onto the back of the Smartcase. The connection between phone and Smartblade is equivalent to a hard-wired data connection. As a result, new chips and sensors can be quickly integrated within the Smartblade and then snapped onto a user's smartphone when needed. The person behind the Smartcase is Jorge Fernandes (CEO i-BLADES, inventor, entrepreneur), pioneer behind the now global use of NFC contactless payments.

A host of Smartblades are currently under development solving major smartphone user pain points--everything from battery life, to health to on-the-go entertainment. Users can just snap-on Smartblades for new functions, then snap them off when they do not need them. This gives MEMs partners access to the mobile market without having to create a separate device or wait for integration into smartphone technologies.

The i-BLADES Smartcase has proven the speed to market and flexibility of its platform with its partnership with Bosch Sensortec. The i-BLADES team and Bosch Sensortec took less than 2 months versus the typical 18 months or more for the BME-680 (a 4-in 1 sensor that measures air quality) to be operational on the mobile platform. 

"As the leading global sensor maker we are very pleased with our partnership with i-BLADES. Having access to the mass market smartphone consumer quickly is critical for our future success," said Marcellino Gemelli, head of worldwide business development, Bosch Sensortec.

In addition to bringing access for new technologies to the mass mobile market very quickly, the Smartcase can accommodate a limitless number of IOT solutions that need smartphone power, UI and connectivity. Its proprietary Smart platform allows multiple modules to connect to mobile. The power is in the hands of the user who benefits from ultimate choice as to when and what they want to add to their smartphone.

Users can pre-order the i-BLADES Smartcase on the company's website. Or if you are visiting CES 2017 i-BLADES will be exhibiting in the North Hall.

About MEMS Industry Group
MEMS Industry Group (MIG) is the trade association advancing MEMS and sensors across global markets. More than 180 companies comprise MIG, including Analog Devices, Applied Materials, ARM, Bosch, EV Group, Freescale Semiconductor, GE, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, HP, HTC Corporation, Huawei, Goertek, Infineon, Intel, InvenSense, Jawbone, Kionix, Knowles Corporation, Lenovo, OMRON Electronic Components, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., SONY Electronics, SPTS Technologies, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments and TSMC. For more information, visit: www.memsindustrygroup.org.

About i-BLADES
A Silicon Valley start-up, i-BLADES designs and markets modular add-on technology for the global smartphone market. CEO and founder Jorge Fernandes was one of the lead people in inventing the global standard behind Apple Pay. I-BLADES created the world's first "Smartcase," a next-generation mobile phone case with smart technology inside. It's a modular expansion platform that lets users add functionality to smartphones, such as more battery life, more storage or solutions around air quality, VR headset, wellness, entertainment, etc. With the i-BLADES Developer Program, companies can use the Smart Platform to create new function-specific Blades for every market imaginable. www.i-blades.com.