Utah woman creates smart purse with phone charger, Bluetooth connectivity

Utah woman creates smart purse with phone charger, Bluetooth connectivity

(Courtesy of Dani Richeson)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Susan B. Anthony once said every woman must have a purse of her own, and though she most likely wasn’t referring to the latest fashionable handbag, the sentiment still stands.

Salt Lake City resident Dani Richeson also believes a good purse is essential for women on the move. Born from her desire to provide other busy women with a helpful accessory, Richeson created the FYB London smart purse: a handbag complete with everything from a built-in phone charger to Bluetooth connectivity.

Richeson launched the purse on Kickstarter where it soon met its funding goal of $30,000 in just 56 hours. Since then, the campaign has gone on to raise nearly $110,000 and ends on March 31.

According to Richeson, the most exciting characteristic for backers is the built-in phone charger located in the front pocket of the bag. Users can simply drop their phone into the designated pocket which will charge the device through a Qi-certified wireless charging platform.

If users want to charge their phone and use it at the same time, they can plug their phone into the power bank in the bag. According to Richeson, the power bank can charge an iPhone 3.5 times before needing to be charged itself.

Utah woman creates smart purse with phone charger, Bluetooth connectivity

The bag also connects to mobile devices via Bluetooth and will provide a distance alert via the FB London app if the bag owner strays too far away, ensuring the purse isn’t forgotten on a park bench or public transportation.

The front pocket has slots for passports, credit cards and business cards and is RFID-protected to minimize electronic pickpocketing, now that many cards, passports and driver’s licenses come with embedded radio frequency identification chips.

The bag itself is also protected by a biometric fingerprint recognition lock that stores up to 100 different fingerprints.

“On the inside, you have a padded laptop compartment and all your organization pockets. You’re eliminating the black hole. You know where everything is,” Richeson said. “We travel a lot, so there were so many times when I’d be in line trying to board a plane and I’d have to step to the side because I couldn't find my boarding pass or my passport.”

Richeson was born and raised in Newcastle, and though she came from humble beginnings in a town of 200, she always hoped to create something that would help others. When she moved to Salt Lake City, she met now FYB co-founder Jason Lowe, who had recently created a backpack with a built-in phone charger.

The two began working together and the FYB London smart purse was soon born.

“FYB stands for ‘Follow Your Bliss,’ and, at a really young age, I came upon that phrase and I just instilled that into everything I did,” Richeson said. “In life, if you do what makes you happy, then the rest will follow. Doors will open to you.”

The smart purse is currently available as a city bag or as a larger travel tote and Richeson and Lowe hope to continue expanding with different styles and options.

Utah woman creates smart purse with phone charger, Bluetooth connectivity

Buyers who add $89 to their initial pledge for a FYB purse will receive an FYB Mini: a smaller purse with a charger, RFID protection and Bluetooth connectivity.

The city bag is $259 on Kickstarter and $399 in retail while the travel tote bag is $399 on Kickstarter and $450 in retail.

“There can be a lot of resistance in some ways when you’re out pursuing goals and trying to work and travel,” Richeson said. “So I wanted to create something that would eliminate all of that so people could do it with more ease and focus.”

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