A startup takes inspiration from the Project Ara modular smartphone to provide a means for customers to add further functionality to their current smartphones-- the Nexpaq, "a truly modular smartphone case.”

Like the Project Ara, the Nexpaq concept consists of swappable physical modules one can slot in a case clipping to the smartphone's back. The case features a built-in 1000mAh battery and space for up to 6 modules, which come in 12 varieties. These include an additional battery, amplified speaker, SD card reader, LED flashlight, 64GB flash drive, thermometer, air quality monitor and breathalyser.

How scratch-resistant are the various flavours of Apple Watch? Consumer Reports says the answer boils down to "very," even if the basic "Sport" model rates worse than its more expensive "Watch" and "Edition" siblings.

Apple uses two kinds of glass in the Watch-- the Sport features "Ion-X" glass (a material similar to Corning's Gorilla Glass), while the more expensive aluminium-bodied Watch and gold-plated Edition feature sapphire crystal. Consumer Reported tested both displays using the Mohs Hardness Scale, a 10-point mineral toughness test created by German geologist Friedrich Mohs back in 1812.

MIT Media Laboratory researchers present what is probably the smallest trackpad out there-- the NailO, a thumbnail-sized wireless input device one can wear on their, well, thumbnail.

The tiny device packs a battery, Bluetooth radio, multiple processor and a capacitative trackpad, and according to the makers allows control of smartphones, laptops and other wearable devices while the user has their hands full. It can also augment other interfaces (such as toggle between symbol sets while typing) and even allow for subtle communications of the sending a quick text during a meeting variety.

“It’s very unobtrusive,” researcher Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao says. “When I put this on, it becomes part of my body. I have the power to take it off, so it still gives you control over it. But it allows this very close connection to your body.”

DODOcase launches a solution for customers wanting to simultaneously charge their iPhone and Watch-- the Dual Charging Dock Organiser, a product featuring the company's signature book-bound cover style.

Construction is in Baltic birch wood tray, with steel inserts for the storage of chargers and cables. A groove in the rear section holds the iPhone in place, while a round cutout on the front holds the Watch magnetic induction charger.