i-BLADES Capitalizes on Indiegogo Success of World's First Smartcase, Moves to Commercial Launch; Appoints Former Office Depot Exec Dave Fuente to Board

Next Generation Phone Case, Offering a Modular Consumer Solution to Easily Increase Smartphone Performance, Will Be Showcased at MWC16


MILPITAS, CA--(Marketwired - Feb 18, 2016) - i-BLADES™, developer of next generation phone cases, has surpassed the Indiegogo funding goal for its Smartcase -- the world's most intelligent phone case. The Smartcase lets consumers easily add performance to their smartphone, increasingly important as smartphone innovation slows and ownership lifecycles lengthen. i-BLADES is now entering production, with commercial launch planned for this summer, and has bolstered its leadership with the appointment of former Office Depot executive Dave Fuente to the Board.

The i-BLADES line of Smartcases includes the Samsung Galaxy series, however, its hardware and software are easily interchangeable between operating systems. It is able to deliver consumers up to 10x extra power and 1TB of memory, an industry first "On-the-Go" entertainment platform, as well as wellness solutions for the smart home, using air quality sensors, through its partnership with Bosch Sensor-Tech. i-BLADES will showcase these and expanded offerings at MWC16, Barcelona, Feb. 22 - 25, 2016.

New member of the Board of Directors
Fuente spent 13 years at Office Depot and during that time took the company from 10 stores with $32M in revenue to 1,100 stores with $11B in revenue. He is a former lead Director of Dick's Sporting Goods and is currently Chairman of G100, described by Forbes as a think tank of 100 active CEOs and leaders of the nation's largest companies.

Fuente joins an accomplished board that includes Frank Biondi, former CEO of Viacom, Universal Studios and HBO; Jorge Fernandes, CEO of i-BLADES and inventor of Apple Pay technology; and Dr. Paul Meissner, President of i-BLADES and former Senior Executive at Applied Materials.

"Indiegogo demonstrated excitement and demand for our Smartcase. The reality is consumers want to add performance to their smartphone. We take a different approach; others offer multiple bulky cases to give the functionality that we can through our Smartblades with a single case," said CEO Jorge Fernandes. "We're delighted Dave is joining the team as we accelerate our national retail distribution. It's testament to our serious intent to shake up the mobile market."

"i-BLADES is a company with unique technology and dynamic leadership team. What excites me is the capability of the technology to disrupt the mobile landscape, which is dominated by a few global players," said Fuente.

Board member Biondi added: "I'm very intrigued by i-BLADES' products, particularly the On-the-Go solution which will benefit consumers and media delivery partners alike, opening up new ways to consume entertainment on the go. The company is hitting the market at the right time." 

"On-the-Go" entertainment using smartcases
i-BLADES "On-the-Go" solution is a mobile media content delivery platform that gives consumers a large selection of HD quality DRM-protected movies, without having to stream or be connected to the Internet. Movies are stored and delivered through a media Smartblade so they can be viewed anywhere, anytime, no data connection required. Designed for consumers, media companies and movie studios, it's the only platform that provides an "on-the-go" movie distribution and content delivery platform for smart mobile devices and reduces data costs compared with streaming.

i-BLADES is aggressively expanding the product offering through partnerships to deliver new Smartblade experiences.

About i-BLADES
At i-BLADES, we make Smartphones smarter. We developed the world's first Smartcase -- a revolutionary expansion platform with built-in microprocessor that brings new functionality to smartphones -- up to 10X more battery power and 1 Terabyte of memory storage, hundreds of curated feature length HD movies, 'quality of life' sensors, IOT enablers and more. It's made possible with snap-on and snap-off ultra-thin 'Blades' that can be mixed and matched, allowing users to incrementally upgrade their smartphone, tablets and other devices without having to purchase a new device. With the i-BLADES Developer Program, companies can use the Smartcase Platform to create new function-specific Blades for every market imaginable.

We're dedicated to building products that give people power to personalize their mobile device. Visit www.i-BLADES.com, follow us on Twitter @idashblades or call us at 650.906.3676

Contact Information:

Media Contacts:
Carol Felton
EVP Corporate Communications
408-807-3780

Dave Fuente Frank Biondi, Board Member, i-BLADES i-BLADES Smartcase--the world's most intelligent phone case.