On the third day of gadgets, my true love gave to me … another budget-conscious tech gift, as part of Pogue's 12 Days of Gadgets!
You know those guys who, in lieu of a wallet, carry around a big wad of credit cards and cash wrapped in a rubber band? They're the kind of person who might like the CardNinja.
It's a clever, stretchy-silky backpack for your cellphone. It holds cash and credit cards. Choice of colors, $18.
The point is to reduce the amount of stuff you have to carry around by eliminating the wallet. You get away with carrying only one bulky pocket item instead of two.
The CardNinja attaches to the back of the phone with strong adhesiv e backing (you can, with some effort, remove it later). It's completely flat when empty; as you stuff more and more cards into it, it expands as necessary. I've been carrying around two credit cards, my driver's license and some bills, and I was surprised at how easy it was to slip them in and out. The company says that you can stuff as many as eight cards in there, plus cash.
For some people, the CardNinja can replace the wallet. For others, the phone plus CardNinja is a good enough grab-and-go bundle for most days; you might keep the tertiary stuff - maybe your library, grocery, AAA and car wash loyalty cards - in your actual wallet that you don't take with you as often.
For still other people, the CardNinja either doesn't have enough capacity, makes it too hard to see all their cards splayed out, or puts too many eggs into a single “where did I leave that?†basket.
Fortunately, since you, the gift giver, know the recipient's style, you're in a good p osition to judge. If that “few cards plus cash, one bundle fits all†style does fit your loved one, though, the CardNinja offers a fresh and well-designed option.
