It never ceases to astound me that business cards are still being used as a major currency for trading/offering information about yourself. Given the high levels of tech most of us carry around at any given point, it seems almost ludicrous that we should return to the business card when it comes time to share the professional side of ourselves. Paper, it would seem, is so antiquated in a silicon world, though I’m not making a stand against the old ways. Often, they’re better. But what if there was a way to unite the paper world and the silicon world? A product called SwivelCard, which has surpassed its funding goal on Kickstarter, is doing just that, and has photographers in its sights.
SwivelCard is a business card in the truest sense of the word. It not only carries the predictable basics common to general business cards such as your name, address, email, and other various contact info, but can transform into a USB drive which allows you to share anything from your website, to your resume, sales presentation, or any form of media.
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The mechanism is slick, even if a little primitive. Through a very simple fold, the normal form factor of a business card is transformed to offer a protrusion that’s a USB flash drive. It has enough storage to embed some pretty impressive features. You are able to load real data, track with realtime analytics, and update it remotely even after it’s been given out. You can program the entire set you’ve ordered to carry the same information, or you can specify what you’d like on any individual card. Oh, let’s not forget to mention that it’s also ‘wireless’ in the sense that you can bring it close to a mobile device and have the information read that way. It’s damn impressive.
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You can currently order 200 cards with a donation to the Kickstarter program of $259, though that limits you on the design you’d be able to have. To completely customize that package, you would be dropping $419. So, they’re not cheap, but is marketing ever? Marketing is always costly, even if it’s “just”your time.
Source: Gizmodo, Kickstarter
