When you spend money on a nice new phone, one of the first things you do (if you’re smart) is get a case to protect it. Yale professor Jan Schroers, a specialist in materials science and mechanical engineering, is seeing to it that the next generation of smartphone cases is super tough and durable. Schroers works with Bulk Metallic Glasses, or BMGs. These ultra-strong but lightweight alloys are created by cooling molten metal incredibly quickly so that the typical crystalline structure of solid metal can’t form. BMGs, also known as amorphous metals, have an atomic structure that is closer to that of glass, but they are far sturdier.

BMGs have been around since at least 1960, but until now researchers have had trouble figuring out just how to shape them for consumer use. Professor Schroers has developed a technique for forming them that involves shaping the alloys while they are in their supercooled liquid state. He uses this method, called thermoplastic forming, to create sheets of BMGs. Once the alloys are in sheet form, they can be shaped by a blow-molding process similar to that used to mold plastics.

Schroers has his eye on the consumer electronics market for the technology, to which Yale owns the rights. He has licensed those rights to create a line of ultra-durable, lightweight phone cases. They will be scratch-resistant and roughly 50 times harder than plastic. One of the main benefits of using BMGs is that buttons can be built right into the cases, opening up the possibility to make the next generation of smartphone cases waterproof as well as almost indestructible.

The post Yale’s Supercool Metals Make for Super-Tough Phone Cases first appeared on Gajitz.

“Fun, functional and a bit funky: That’s Sparkbeats.” This is the mission statement of the team at a company that wants to sell you a new iPhone case. It’s catchy but not terribly original. Luckily, their design is.

Sparkbeats takes the LED light in your iPhone, the one typically used for a flashlight or camera flash, and ‘bends’ it. According to the company website, “The iPhone’s LED spot light will convert into a plan light by the light wave guide plate. When the light goes into the wave guide plate, the light will reflected internally to create a plan light and light up the whole case.” Yes, that’s a very overly-complicated explanation, which is probably why there’s a video.

The accompanying app lets you manipulate Sparkbeats in a couple fun and functional ways. It can be a replacement for the grating vibrate setting as a call or text notification. On the fun side, it can be synced to your music, creating light patterns to coincide. The case is made out of a high grade ABS, so it offers plenty of protection. Sparkbeats is currently in Kickstarter phase.

The post iPhone Case + App Add Light To Your Dark World of Music first appeared on Gajitz.

What is the one item most of us have on us at all times, no matter what? Our mobile phones. We can’t put them down because they’re just so useful: they store all of our contacts, our emails, our calendars, and our favorite games. But if you could add one more feature, maybe it would be the ability to keep one other gadget out of your pocket. The iPhone 5 Case with Tape Measure, designed by Korean team Psychic Factory, does just that.

For carpenters, designers or anyone else who needs a tape measure handy regularly, this case is prepared to make your current tape measure obsolete. A semi-rigid tape measure is coiled inside the case, ready to measure whatever it is that needs measuring. There is no accompanying app that records the measurements, so users will still have to record the numbers manually on their iPhone.

Even if you don’t do a lot of measuring, the case is branded with DeWalt, so it’s bound to be pretty tough. It would definitely be worth having, even if for no other reason than to feel really smart when someone needs a tape measure and you can pull one right out of your pocket. For now, though, the design is just a concept.

The post Tough + Talented: iPhone 5 Case Hides a Very Handy Secret first appeared on Gajitz.

What do you usually do when an important text comes in but you’re walking around drinking your expensive gourmet coffee drink? Set the drink down? Try to balance it between your arm and your torso to free up both hands for typing? An invention that is either totally brilliant or completely insane will make it simple to text with both hands, even when you’re carrying a steaming cup of $8.00 latte.

The UpperCup is the world’s first drink carrier iPhone case. It features a pop-out circular holder for your beverage that looks a lot like the cup holders found in a car. When you need it, it extends away from the case to safely hold your cup while you text. When you’re done with it, it folds flat against your phone.

Provided you are smart enough not to try drinking and texting at the same time, the UpperCup could be the cleverest iPhone case ever. Natwerk, the company behind the invention, is currently raising funds on IndieGoGo for a production run. A $25 or $30 contribution gets you one of the world’s first UpperCup cases, plus the satisfaction of knowing you’re a trendsetter.

The post Brilliant or Crazy? IPhone Case With Built-In Coffee Cup Holder first appeared on Gajitz.

A Dutch company is jumping onto the 3D print-on-demand trend by offering iPhone cases that are customizable and made to your specifications. Kees (a Dutch word that is pronounced “case”) offers options for building your ideal iPhone case, which they will then manufacture via a 3D printer.

On the Kees website, you choose the bumper (edge guards), background, image and side lettering you want. There is an option that will let you leave a clear space on the case right where the Apple logo is on your phone, just for those people who can’t stand to cover it up.

You can then choose from four color choices for your custom case, which will then be produced to your specifications and shipped out within three weeks. Kees isn’t the first company to offer customizable print-on-demand products, but the concept is still new enough that it seems like a welcome departure from pre-made mass-produced products.

The post Choose, Customize + Personalize a 3D Printed iPhone Case first appeared on Gajitz.