LIFESTYLE

TaskLab's iPhone Toolkits

There is an old expression about using the right tool for the job, but sometimes the tool on hand just has to do.
25 November, 2016
Thanks to mobile toolkits for smartphones from companies like TaskLab, an entire toolbox now fits in a pocket.
TaskLab starting making its versatile, Swiss Army Knife style toolkits a few years ago, using an innovative design that snaps a miniature toolkit right into a smartphone case. Necessity is often the mother of invention, and that was very much the case for TaskLab founder Addison Shelton: the former Apple staffer was out on his bike ride one day when it broke down and he realized he had forgotten his toolkit.

At that point, the Stanford University-trained engineer – and a man with a love for gadgets – decided to leave Apple and launch TaskLab in order to deliver exactly the kind of toolkit he wished he could have with him everywhere.
The TaskOne is what Shelton had in mind. The tough smartphone case made from aluminium and carbonate, with built-in stainless steel tools that can be used for everything from camping to a quick fix of a desk lamp screw at the office. There is a 6.4-centimeter serrated knife blade (which means the TaskLab cannot be taken on an airplane) as well as a magnesium flint firestarter in some iPhone models.

With the TaskOne, that old "saw" about having the right tool is embodied by an actual saw with a 5-centimeter blade. There are pliers and wire cutters, six sizes each of the Allen wrench and the box wrench, two sizes of flathead screwdrivers, and a Phillips that the user would need for screws too. The kit comes with a 12.7-centimeter ruler and a few other tools. The toolkit even includes a bottle opener.
Images: The Task Lab
Shelton and his team also have designed the kits so that they can be swapped out, depending on varying needs. The TaskOne may seem like it is designed for everything, but it does not a mirror, tweezers, nail file, or scissors. Those are instead included in the urban kit, along with a mini LED light, pen, stylus, and USB drive. This product is meant to make sure you have the tools you need when headed to the club or office.

Swapping the urban kit out with the bike kit for the ride home turns the smartphone case becomes a toolset that was designed for 18 common repairs, with the specific tools needed to complete a quick fix. That includes everything from a tube patch kit for a flat tire to a 15-millimeter spanner and spoke wrenches.
What most potential users want to know about the TaskOne – besides where the bottle opener folds – is how safe it is to use the tools without damaging your phone. The company is quick to offer reassurance:
The design of the case protects your phone and allows the force of the tools to be distributed to the case without damaging your phone. That doesn't mean you can now use your phone as a hammer, but you don't have to worry about damage to your phone in normal use of any of the tools.
Another top question is whether the case interferes with signal and reception. The answer is: a little, potentially, and users can expect zero to one bars of signal degradation. That drawback is kept to a minimum by the case design, which uses small polycarbonate windows to allow cellular and GPS signals to pass through.

By keeping interference to a minimum, the TaskOne lets users perform all of their typical phone tasks but also keeps them prepared for unexpected emergencies.
Banner image: The Task Lab