What makes the perfect aluminium bumper?

Lester Mapp on the AL13 iPhone case and Kickstarter

There's people who would never put anything on their iPhone and those who won't leave their home without a cheap plastic case and a screen protector. The third option are some type of connoisseurs; the iPhone users who know Apple should have made a metallic version of their popular bumpers. Since the selection of good premium cases is either too pricy or too flawed, there must be a significant group of people who would back the right solution.

Crowdfunding expensive accessories that never ship the way they intended is not even newsworthy. From the ElevationDock to the i+Case we know platforms like Kickstarter are full of projects that inevitably lead to disappointments. But what happens when someone comes up with a design that respects the style of the iPhone 5, doesn't add bulk, is easy to put together and is made in high quality aluminium?

Today we chat with Lester Mapp, the entrepreneur who has managed to design, crowdfund and ship the AL13 — a premium-looking aluminium iPhone bumper that doesn't cost the earth.

Seeing the impressive amount of smartphone cases for sale, why do we need one more?

When we started thinking about the design for AL13 is was for purely selfish purposes. We had always felt that there should be an alternative for people like us who wanted some form of protection for their phone but did not want to cover it up, change its shape or weigh it down. So we decided to come up with our own solution; something that could look like it actually came with the iPhone.

How is AL13 different from other alternatives available? What makes this case different from other, more well-known players in the market?

AL13 is slim, extremely lightweight and built to blend in with the look of the iPhone. Unlike alot of other aluminium bumpers, it doesn’t require screws or tools for installation. It features a Simple Slide Cover that just slides on and locks into place for easy installation and removal.

From all the aluminium cases I'm sure you have tried, which three are the best three you could see yourself using everyday?

Well, AL13 would have to be at the top of the list of course. And the truth is before AL13 our phones went naked.

How did you come up with this design?

We looked at everything we ourselves would want in an iPhone bumper and paid close attention to common complaints of iPhone users. We knew we wanted a clean classic look. We knew we wanted something was premium and that would match the precise look and finish of the iPhone. We also wanted something that wouldn’t add to the weight and size of the iPhone after Apple went through so much trouble to make the iPhone 5 lighter and thinner. So that was the starting point.

Is there any manufacturing challenges behind it?

The biggest challenge in manufacturing was finding the raw materials and manufacturer at a price that would allow us to produce a high quality product but still within a price range that would make it unreachable.

What were the highs and lows of the KickStarter campaign? What has this platform allowed you that you wouldn't be able to accomplish otherwise?

Being involved with Kickstarter was an awesome experience. It’s really a rush to put your design out there and have people like it and get behind you. Of course a major high for us was quadrupling our funding target, but it was really the response from the backers that we were most excited about along the way. They were like an extension of the team; giving suggestions and words of encouragement. They even picked the two additional colors we ended up adding to production run. Another high was being able to ship our product to the backers on time.

On the other side of that coin though is where I would say the lows of the campaign came in. Sometimes reading some of the criticisms that inevitably come in is tough. But you take the good with the bad, focus on the positive, take the good advice and continually strive to better your designs and your products.

What are the plans for designed by m ?

We have two really exciting projects in the pipeline. The first is almost complete and we are getting ready to launch it soon, so look out for the announcement. It’s a simple but awesome design and it provides a great solution for a common problem that many of people have. We can’t wait for everyone to see it!!

Thanks a lot for your time Lester. I have my own AL13 case and will definitely send you some feedback once I've had time to use it for some weeks.

The AL13 is available now for sale at designed by m.

Plan your journey on your iPhone with Citymapper for London

Type a destination and get me there

In the first part of Journey Planner series for Citymapper we covered how to find all the public transport options available near you. The second episode will explain how the app uses your location and live transport data to give you the best route for your destination. If you want to follow along, you can download the Citymapper app now for free.

Who wouldn't like an automatic route planner without the hassle of having of checking Transport for London's mobile web version? Citymapper uses your phone's location services to find where you are and pulls live data feeds to present you with the quickest options to get from point A to B right now.

Although you can bookmark your frequent locations to have them available directly on the main menu, let's begin with the search function called 'Get Me Somewhere'. Tapping this will open a full map view with a search bar. If you have the address, postcode or name of the place you are going, you can just type it there. The results are powered by both Foursquare and Citymapper, tending to be a little slow to load but really rich in results. Names of shops and restaurants will be recognised easily, unlike Apple's native Maps app.

Another cool option to select a destination is dragging the map around to release an end journey pin. This works great if you're familiar with the area you're visiting and it's generally quicker than typing and waiting for the results to load. You can also zoom by pinching, which is useful to reveal street names as you get a closer view of the map.

Once the destination is set, Citymapper will calculate the most suitable routes and present the results as options. Now you can refine the time of departure or arrival with a toggle button and see the expected weather forecast at the destination. Cute tiny icons indicate the walking distance and the time expected taking a cab, as well as the cost in calories burnt and pounds (sterling) respectively.

If the destination is so close you decide to walk, tapping on this option will display a map with a recommended pedestrian route. Choosing the car option gives you a generic quote for black cabs and mini cabs for that trip. You can follow your location on the map to know if the driver is actually taking the shortest route!

The suggested journeys section includes the transport methods and combinations most suitable at this time — something like what you would expect from the TfL website. In the Citymapper app, a small icons shows the line, price and estimated duration of the journey. Even if these first results are giving you what the app thinks is the best combination, you can still filter a little more the results. Selecting specific transport methods, like bus only, might be more convenient depending on the travelcard you have and what it covers.

A nice touch is something called 'Rain Safe', which appears to be the recommended combination with less walking for rainy days in London — you can imagine how handy this is. The Cycle option shows the cycling route either for your own bike or using a public 'Boris bike', starting and ending at docking stations and continuing the journey walking if necessary. While the app doesn't appear as specific as other cycle street type apps, it gives you two routes: quiet and fast.

Scrolling all the way to be bottom of the journey option results will show a funny transport method that I don't want to spoil for you. Don't you just wish you could teleport, use a jetpack or be catapulted? A certain blond mayor will try this for you with a silly animation.

One of my favourite features in Cityplanner are the green buttons at the bottom of the screen in the full map view. These allow you to toggle views with just one tap and see the different journey combinations right on top of the map. This is extremely useful to plan ahead, rearrange or avoid certain areas with road works or other restrictions.

What's next for Cityplanner?

Opening its API to third party apps like the event-listing YPlan is a great start to push Cityplanner ahead of, not only transport apps, but also Google Maps and Apple's built-in solution. Sharing destinations via text message works great even with people who don't have the app installed. The new changes in interface, availability for other platforms — namely Android — and regular updates will definitely keep Cityplanner on its current high level: a must-have for any Londoner with a smartphone.

Hopefully, future versions will be allow users to check in with their Oyster to check balance, have alerts and tailor the journey to the zones covered on their travelcard, for example. Waiting for that level integration for a true killer app.