Portable, cordless air-compressors aren’t exactly new, but they’re often bulky, limited in scope and ugly. In response to these issues, a team of engineers and product designers from Hong Kong has come up with the Norshire Mini, a compact, minimalist, multi-function pump/compressor for the iPhone generation.
Launching this month on Kickstarter, the device will not only inflate everything from basketballs to car and bike ties, but will look cool in the process. If the lightsaber was designed by the crew at Apple, it’d look pretty much like the Norshire Mini, and frankly, why shouldn’t a tire-pump look as good as our other portable gadgets? Especially when most of the current offerings look like a home-brand cordless drill.
The designers claim that the Norshire Mini is the world’s smallest and most portable tire inflator, and it may well be, but these sorts of claims tend not to last too long, thanks to competitions and innovation. Others like the Fumpa are indeed smaller, but don’t have all the features. Still, at a sleek 208 mm (8.2 in) long and 40 mm (1.6 in) in diameter, the Norshire Mini is a true go-anywhere compressor, taking up very little room in the glovebox, backpack or even on the bike (though a mounting bracket would be handy).
