[unfletch]

I'm guessing the Coin pre-order is why Protean sent me an email yesterday reminding me they exist: http://getprotean.com

Their Echo card is exactly the same idea, with some minor variation in implementation. It has not yet launched.

As far as the concerns voiced here (accidental button presses, etc.), Chris Bartenstein, a Protean co-founder, has addressed some of that in the comments on this TechCrunch story: http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/02/the-protean-echo-reduces-al...

[rmason]

Doing hardware is hard. Protean's CTO, Henry Balanon, spoke at the Code Michigan civic hackathon on that very subject:

http://www.slideshare.net/balanon1/code-michigan-without-com...

Its not always the first product to ship that wins, its the best product that ships. I've seen the product evolve and the echo card is worth the wait.

[unfletch]

I didn't mean "it hasn't launched" as a knock. Just pointing out that, like Coin, it's announced but not yet available.