Plastc Card

All your cards in one device w/ an e-ink touchscreen

3 followers

All your cards in one device w/ an e-ink touchscreen

3 followers

Payment processors

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Physical Products

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Wearables

Launch tags:Tech

Launch Team

Goody

This is not meant to be a knock against the product, but just trying to offer a perspective from a guy that has backed a ton of indie electronics projects before. I wrote on Twitter about how this project seems a bit too far-fetched given all the technology they're trying to jam in the card, which presumably is a maximum of 1mm thick (regular cards are 0.76mm) – induction charging coil, a low-power battery, RFID/NFC module, Bluetooth, e-ink touchscreen, magnetic stripe coder or whatever you call it, and probably small CPU/memory components. All of that could probably fit in a small device the size of, say, a watch, but in a device 1mm thick? (These issues are also present with Coin.) I think this is a great product and idea—especially since Apple Pay won't be available everywhere for a while—but I question whether the tech is there yet to make this possible. The team has a cool background but don't seem to have much past experience in EE or commerce, which is crucial for this kind of project. The projects I've backed always turn out *way* different than anticipated, especially when they start preorders before having a prototype. I'm not saying it's impossible, but to ship a product like this in less than a year—it's ambitious.

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12yr ago

Goody

@wr That's what I'm inclined to think. But Coin's on-stage demos have shown that they've apparently managed to jam Bluetooth + battery + digital screen + magnetic strip into the credit card form factor, but I still think it's far-fetched.

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12yr ago

@markbao "These issues are also present with Coin." — how do you mean? It is exceptionally challenging, but Coin have managed to get a sub 1mm device form. It's just exactly the same as a normal credit card dimensions.

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12yr ago

Goody

@_jacksmith I just checked out a photo of one of Coin's prototypes[0], and it's really impressive what they've been able to fit in. No idea how they squeezed an Arduino in there, but it does seem to *work* and it's 0.84mm. So, I'm probably wrong about Coin. But Plastc looks like it has way more components/powerdraw/etc. [0] http://www.quora.com/How-does-th...

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12yr ago

@markbao I don't think that they do use Ardiuno any more. I think that was just the prototype

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12yr ago

BEVEL

@markbao Best guess is some EE did some back-of-the-napkin math on what it would take to build such a device but never double checked the actual implementation details. After seeing everything Coin has gone though I just don't believe you can get this many features in a 1mm card without breaking a couple laws of physics.

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12yr ago

Startup TV

Hunter

A Coin competitor http://www.producthunt.com/posts... "Plastc helps you pay any way and anywhere you want*. With a magnetic stripe and barcode display, your Plastc Card will work in all the places you already frequent. Plus, with NFC and Chip and PIN capabilities a software update away, you’ll soon be ready for the future of payments."

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12yr ago

@erictwillis Not sure the 'chip' is worth 3x the price of Coin.

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12yr ago

Startup TV

Hunter

@mzuvella I definitely wouldn't purchase it at that price point. That's very steep.

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12yr ago

@erictwillis Especially as a preorder...and we all know the history of hardware pre-orders lately.

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12yr ago

Startup TV

Hunter

@mzuvella Maybe 90 percent of these projects end up being delivered significantly late. I rarely do pre-orders.

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12yr ago

@erictwillis Yeah, if not 100%.

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12yr ago

Email Text Formatter

With Apple finally entering into NFC payments with Apple Pay, this and Coin will be useless by this time next year. This is nice but a little too late.

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12yr ago

Startup TV

Hunter

@FelixReznik I'm not sure about that if Apple keeps it closed and it only runs on iOS.

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12yr ago

Airmail

@erictwillis I assume Apple opening the floodgates for wide-spread NFC payments will open up more users to Google Wallet as well.

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12yr ago

Startup TV

Hunter

@zaccoffman Likely. I still think we're a decade away from "significant" consumer adoption in the U.S.

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12yr ago

Airmail

@erictwillis 100% agree, not only due to user adoption, but retail environment adoption.

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12yr ago

@FelixReznik um, apple launching NFC payments doesn't make this/Coin useless. Many places don't/wont accept Apple pay and it only works with iOS devices.

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12yr ago

Google

I continue to question the utility of this. What is the primary problem being solved? Unification of multiple cards into a single card? Not 100% sold that this notion alone provides value. Straw poll, how many payment cards do you have in your wallet/purse right now? Me: 3. And that's in my skinny-ass wallet.

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12yr ago

VentureBeat Insight

@mchang It isn't just about payment cards. This would also store all reward cards. I have dozens of those. I've tried storing them in apps like KeyRing, but stores here don't have modern barcode scanners, so they just end up typing in the number, not scanning the barcode off the screen. And that's just for the barcode-based cards - it doesn't handle the magnetic strip cards or the NFC cards. With Plastc, I could do away with all of those. But, Summer 2015 is a long way away. Maybe someone will solve all of this with an app that actually works before then. In the UK, we still don't have Google Wallet, for example. I wish we did...

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12yr ago

Cover

Pretty sure that their use of the Visa logo in the mockup is against the network rules. Production versions of this (and Coin) would not have a network logo, which will likely increase merchant confusion. Indeed, merchants would have every right to refuse to take this (and Coin) without the network logo. Furthermore, it's unclear from the page how thick the card is and whether or not it would work in an ATM that holds cards, as opposed to dipping cards. Always a risk that the machine might not return your card.

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12yr ago

@megerman 90% of merchants have no clue, as evident by most asking for your ID which is against network rules as well.

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12yr ago

Charged

@mzuvella Asking for ID is against network rules? If they ask for ID and you refuse I presume they can refuse to accept payment form regardless of network rules?

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12yr ago

@jedgar Yeah, has been for decades. Unless the card is not signed.

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12yr ago

If Apple Pay works, it's hard to see there being enough value in the differentiation here. Credit cards are the ultimate "good enough" solution.

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12yr ago

Startup TV

Hunter

@davidlidsky Agreed David. This doesn't really address a "need" for me. However, it could for many. Like you said, I think the future is going to be a solution baked right into the mobile device with no need to carry a physical card.

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12yr ago

Charged

I pre-ordered two coins that I doubt I'm ever going to get, and even if I do get them, I'm so disenfranchised with the whole process (it's been confusing and annoying) I don't even want one anymore. I'm totally in love with the idea (I actually like it better than Apple Wallet thinger) but I'm so skeptical of actually getting this thing. What say you Plastc Card? How do I trust you?

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12yr ago

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