When you buy a smartphone case, it’s almost always for protection. You don’t want your $600 device to get scratched in your bag, and you certainly don’t want it to shatter when you drop it. But don’t you think cases could be about more than that?

London-based Cliq Cases certainly does, and that’s why their new smartphone case features customizable shortcut keys that you can use to launch your camera, control media playback, toggle your flashlight, and more.

Google Glass is immensely difficult to get hold of right now. In fact, you have little to no chance of bagging the device if you live outside of the U.S. and don’t have a spare $1,500. But thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign, you can now become a Google Glass owner for just $33.

You’ll have to act quickly, though, because it’s almost certainly going to get pulled by Google. And yes, there is a catch.

Makers of the Pressy Kickstarter project have given some good news to its backers. People who have backed this innovative little button will have their units shipped by the 28th of April.  The project which started off with a funding goal of $40,000 has now raised over $695,138 with 28,818 backers who have ordered more than 40,000 units, so it could certainly take some doing from the team to ship them out in time.

Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has announced a new user configurable hardware button which fits into the 3.5mm headphone slot of a smartphone. Users can assign the button to perform various functions with a pattern of clicks.

With its arms folded in, the Plinth hardly looks like a tablet stand. Image courtesy John Bull

The Plinth isn’t just a super-compact tablet stand — it’s an amusing party trick.

Slide the sleek accessory out of your pocket or purse and into the hands of a friend and you’ll likely be met with a quizzical stare as they try to figure out what, exactly, the flat plastic object is. Thin, feather-light and somewhat curiously shaped, the Plinth — which currently exists only as a 3-D prototype, although if you’re quick you can get in on the Kickstarter campaign — looks something like a Chinese puzzle box or a Transformer in stealth mode.

It’s obviously composed of multiple parts that fit together seamlessly, and a couple of buttons look like they might do something. But let a friend fondle the plastic object, and they’ll likely fiddle with it for a while before they discover the Plinth’s awesome secret.