Why the card-shaped form factor is one of our X-factors

The market for hardware wallets is filled with a plethora of different variations in size, shape, weight, look, and feel. Some may feel clunky, others may feel small, while others feel just right. The Ballet wallets were not only designed to be simple and secure to use, but also to be ergonomically efficient in one’s everyday lifestyle. With the inevitability of crypto becoming mainstream when mass adoption happens, being able to bring along your cold offline wallet with you, wherever you go, will become the norm.

At the moment in modern times, we are accustomed in having at least 3 items on us at all times when we head out the door: cell phone, wallet, and keys (home or car). Some may think it’s already too much and in some other countries, carrying around just a cellphone is enough.

With the Ballet wallet, you can carry it around in a familiar fashion as you do with your cash or credit cards. It’s thin enough to slide in your pocket or wallet slit making it essentially unnoticeable from other cards in your wallet. Many cell phone cases these days are even equipped with a card holder giving your Ballet wallet another spot to be held in a comfortable position.

And to double down on Ballet’s form factor advantage, its sturdy stainless steel material makes it practically unbreakable or unbendable.

When designing a physical crypto wallet, you don’t want a device that is clunky or uncomfortable to carry around on a daily basis. Some may be great to just leave at home and use only in private but when the time comes where everything can be paid with crypto, you’re going to want a crypto wallet that is not only simple and safe to use, but also ergonomically convenient to carry around.

Credit cards and its all too familiar card-shaped form factor has a long history that can be dated even before the advent of credit cards. That thin rectangular form, snug fit in our hands is pervasive in the way many of our important daily items are shaped. From business cards to subway passes, we’re naturally well aware of the mechanics and purpose of what they are used for when placed in our hands.

Nowadays, you’ll see a bunch of gadgets designed into a credit card shaped form factor because it’s just a familiar feeling for many people. Just check out this card-shaped mini-sized gun here or Victorinix’s card-shaped swiss army knifes aptly named Swiss Cards here.

“You might think that the first credit cards were made to conveniently fit into a wallet, but they are actually made to fit specific standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The ISO sets standards for everything from toy safety to credit card sizes. ISO/IEC 7810:2003 outlines the dimensions of identification cards. This standard was developed by both the ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Credit cards, debit cards, and ATM cards fall under the ID-1 category, meaning that they are required to be 85.6 mm x 53.98 mm or 3.375 in × 2.125 in. All identification cards, no matter the category, have to be .76 mm thick.” — Morgan Cutolo, rd.com

Currently, in the crypto hardware wallet market, you’ll see many crypto wallets launching products that are also trying to conform to the card shaped form factor. But the differentiating factor Ballet wallets boast is our non-electronic and stainless steel material quality that makes the Ballet wallet that much more versatile and “all-terrain” for all elements we may encounter.