The people from the Findables iPhone case sent this strange case over, and I knew nothing about it going into the review. The first thing I noticed was its neon green color. After my retinas healed, it was probably the most obnoxious color for a phone case out there. As someone who will choose leather over most other materials in the world, I was immediately skeptical after seeing the childish appearance of this case. There are plenty of other colors out there, though, so this downside could be easily remedied.
The selling point of this case, as marketed, is the QR code on the case which, when scanned, will give the scanner the name, contact information, and social media links to whoever owns the case. QR codes are those square bar codes that people are always trying to make happen, but nobody ever uses. When was the last time you scanned one, honestly? I scanned this QR code with an app, and it said, basically, to download the Findables app. Right off the bat, this is problematic. If I wanted someone’s Twitter account name I would just ask them what it was, I’m not going to download a separate app to learn that information.
However, since I’m reviewing this case, I went ahead and downloaded the Findables app. I scanned the case, and it told me to register the case. I filled out the information, hit continue, and it then asked me to log in with my email and password that I just entered. So I typed it in again, and it gave me some error message that the email was not registered. I tried again, with the same result. Isn’t this QR business supposed to make life easier?
The case itself isn’t too bad; it’s pretty standard. However, getting the case on and off is pretty frustrating. It’s a tight fit, but that’s probably a good thing. However, the only reason for marking this case up (around $30) is the free app that goes along with the QR code. I seriously doubt that the app is worth the money spent on a case that would retail around $5 otherwise. If I want to give someone my contact information I will just tell them; after all, if they’re close enough to scan my phone’s case, they’re close enough to talk to. I just don’t see the need to make someone download a QR scanning app (most people I’ve asked don’t have one, because nobody uses QR codes outside of the marketing fiction world) and use it on my phone.
The Findables iPhone case is a novel idea, but one that has no practical applicability. We have gotten by for years by telling people our phone number, and this is not such a burden that I would pay $30 to get it out of my life. I think I’ll stick with my simple leather case and call it a day.
