Smart Hardware Company popSLATE Creates New Category With Always-On, Second-Screen To Enhance The Smartphone Experience

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking its Company launch, today popSLATE is releasing its first product, popSLATE for iPhone 6. The Silicon Valley-based smart hardware company is committed to creating differentiated products for the mobile user, and its category-defining first product delivers on this promise. popSLATE for iPhone 6 extends the smartphone experience by enabling instant customization and providing valuable, at-a-glance information, all while saving precious phone battery and protecting the phone itself.

popSLATE's second screen platform connects a flexible, full-size, always-on e-ink display to images, data and apps on your phone.  The e-ink display (similar to the technology used on a Kindle), takes zero power to persistently display any image. Additionally, in contrast to traditional glass-based e-ink screens, popSLATE uses next-generation plastic screen technology, making the display shatter and crack proof. Because the screen is always on, you can display anything on the back of your phone, such as your favorite pictures, a boarding pass, a daily schedule, to do list, and more, without ever draining your phone's battery to access the information. The display communicates wirelessly via Bluetooth with your phone via the popSLATE app, which enables you to 'pop' content from a variety of sources for display, including your phone's photo gallery and Instagram. Further, the display is physically integrated into a stylish black or white case to seamlessly attach to, and protect, the phone. 

A New Dimension for the Smartphone Experience
popSLATE was born from two key epiphanies: the first was the realization that the average consumer unlocks the phone 150 times per day, mainly to access single pieces of information, which quickly drains battery and wastes time; the second was that the back of the phone was completely untapped, ubiquitous and extremely large real estate.

"We recognized the existing mobile experience—constantly unlocking your phone to launch an app to access simple information, and burn up precious time and battery life—could be a lot more efficient," said Yashar Behzadi, CEO and Founder, popSLATE. "We knew there had to be a better way to access data and images and have them available anytime—that your apps should work for you, rather than the other way around."

With these epiphanies, popSLATE came up with the concept of an 'always-on' use scenario to give you what you need at-a-glance. The team identified the back of the phone as the ideal first location to deliver this new experience. Not only is this large space underutilized on every phone but it also provides the perfect complementary frontside-backside experience that popSLATE envisions—namely, use of the main smartphone screen for deeply interactive tasks, enhanced by use of the ultra-low-power popSLATE screen for ambient consumption of content and data.

Unique Team Behind popSLATE
Silicon Valley veterans Yashar Behzadi and Greg Moon are the founders of popSLATE. Behzadi is the CEO and leads product and technology development and comes from an engineering and technology strategy background. Behzadi holds 20 patents and has been building smart, connected hardware products in the Silicon Valley for nearly a decade. Moon has considerable tenure in the technology space and has previously launched first-in-class wearable products. With his strong background in new market development, he leads marketing for the company.

The founders recognized early that the vision that popSLATE set out to achieve requires a team with unique DNA. To create an intelligent platform that combines connected hardware, apps, and content, they have assembled a talented group of technologists, hardware and software developers, in addition to data scientists and designers. To drive expansion in the US and abroad, popSLATE has recently added seasoned consumer electronics executives to the team.

Using popSLATE
popSLATE is easy to use, with the complex technology hidden behind a seamless user experience. Simply place the second screen on your iPhone 6 and pair it, via Bluetooth, to the free popSLATE app. To customize your popSLATE, you can instantly 'pop' anything, anytime – from your camera, gallery, your friends, and Instagram.  Any image 'popped' to the second screen will remain there until you choose to change it. For productivity purposes, you can choose to have key information sent to the screen for at-a-glance access, such as tickets, boarding passes, daily calendar, to-do lists, maps, and workout routines. The popSLATE app also powers a rich social experience, enabling you to share 'pops' with other members of the popSLATE community and to find great content from friends, other users, and premium designers and artists.

Although popSLATE is always-on and infinitely customizable, it won't drain your phone battery, which is critical for all smartphone users. popSLATE's next-generation, plastic e-ink technology uses no power to hold an image and very little power to change an image. This sip of power comes from the on-board popSLATE battery (not the phone), which lasts up to a week on a single charge. In this way, popSLATE actually saves phone battery power, by reducing the need to constantly unlock your phone and use your power-hungry phone screen.

Another key aspect of the platform is that popSLATE's functionality will continue to grow over time.  Through free, rolling software updates and over-the-air update capabilities, the popSLATE team will frequently introduce new productivity features, app integrations and premium content. Nearly future-proof, users will therefore get more and more value out of their original purchase.

"Everybody who has used the product wants one and has recommended it to their friends," continued Behzadi. "They immediately come up with their own personal uses, from showing off images from their favorite artists, to accessing their calendars & to-do lists, to bringing their Instagram feed into the real world.  Based on the initial great response, we are excited to launch the product and continue to see it evolve with the help of the popSLATE community."

Where Can I Get My popSLATE?
popSLATE for iPhone 6 starts to ship on April 21^st, and can be ordered on the popSLATE website: www.popSLATE.com. The product is available in white or black for $129.00 USD. While popSLATE will be in premium retailers later this year, it is currently only available online.

About popSLATE
popSLATE has pioneered always-on second screen technology to provide mobile consumers with infinite possibilities for enhancing and customizing their smartphone experiences. As a smart hardware company, popSLATE creates solutions from the ground up to make premium, integrated products for your smartphone that are unlike anything else on the market. popSLATE is headquartered in the Silicon Valley and is amassing a worldwide community of followers, fans and technology enthusiasts in its worldwide social media communities. For more information, please visit www.popslate.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Pippa Edelen 
popSLATE
[email protected]
+1.503.702.0060

Myriam Joire
popSLATE
[email protected] 
415-347-5537

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150420/199896

SOURCE popSLATE