So I’ve seen various ideas being suggested here and so I wanted to collate some of these ideas into more realistic possibilities.
Firstly;
What is the OnlyKey Pro?
The OnlyKey Pro would be an upgraded version of the OnlyKey sold at a higher price to account for the increased cost of hardware & additional development needs of creating such a product.
It would offer the following advantages over the currently existing “Original” OnlyKey;
1.) 2 (Two) Gigabytes of on-board ECC NAND Flash storage (UFS 2.1 Spec), split into two separate 1GB modules that are setup as a RAID 1 array for redundancy in the event of hardware malfunction or failure. This enchanced storage capacity would be used exclusively for “Slot” storage and would NOT be accessible as any kind of USB Stick storage, it would be invisible to the client device when plugged into a computer, laptop, or, smartphone.
2.) 128GB (2×64GB) of on-board ECC NAND Flash Storage (eMMC 5.1 Spec) split into two separate 64GB NAND Flash packages/modules set up in a RAID 1 array for data redundancy in the event of hardware malfunction or failure.
A total storage space of 32GB would be accessible to the user as a standard USB Flash Drive but only once the device has been unlocked.
The total volume of space could be divided up between ALL slots on the OnlyKey Pro such that any slot could use as much or as little of the total 32GB as it likes.
It would also have a separated 32GB partition for device-wide file storage and this partition would be encrypted with a separate key to the rest of the device, it would also have a separate “WIPE ALL” key to the OnlyKey Pro itself so that at any moment you can wipe the OnlyKey Pro Slots, the OnlyKey Pro 32GB Storage Space, or, Both at once.
This would prove to be useful for storing password databases, etc.
3.) On-Board capacitor capable of holding charge for a maximum of 1 second so that in the event of power loss on the client device data on the OnlyKey is not corrupted in any way.
(I’m not sure if this would be needed, but if it would provide protection then it should be included.)
4.) The ability to store up to 7 profile slots per button, this would be 5 more than the current OnlyKey can hold per button.
They would be accessed with fully configurable and adjustable time delayed button presses with a mix of;
Single Tap, Double Tap, Triple Tap, Hold, Tap & Hold, Double Tap & Hold, Triple Tap & Hold.
The timing of these taps and the delay for every part of input would configurable with documentation explaining the advantages to having a longer delay between presses (How long you hold down your finger to increase entropy).
The LED colour would be adjustable for every stage of the process to suit the users liking with a default colour scheme set as standard and a “Master” colour scheme choose able to which has been adjusted to the users liking on a per-system wide basis per profile.
5.) A piezoelectric diaphragm for generating sound would be included as standard but would be disabled by default, it would be able to withstand any of the same conditions that the rest of the the OnlyKey Pro could withstand and still function when exposed in those conditions.
It would be fully adjustable so that any sound file of FLAC format up to 32MB in size and up to 5 of these files could be stored in the onboard memory of the device.
You would be able to assign any of these sounds to any unlocking or functioning processes of the OnlyKey Pro and even have the sound repeat automatically or after a set amount of time/user set delay. It would be fully configurable by the user.
6.) A newer and faster on-board SoC to support the increased throughput/bandwidth requirements of the upgraded hardware features and additional sound processing, based on a similar CPU architecture as the original OnlyKey.
I don’t know what is currently used but I am sure that this would be possible, or if needed a secondary SoC would be added to the OnlyKey Pro to support the additional processing needs.
7.) Stronger PCB layer materials and a reinforced PCB designed to withstand DOUBLE the amount of peak bending force required to break the current (Original) OnlyKey.
8.) NFC & Smartcard Support Built-In but also with the ability to disable it should the user wish to do so. This feature would be DISABLED BY DEFAULT, and would require the user to enable it when setting up their OnlyKey Pro for the first time.
9.) Even brighter LED’s with more adjustability to their brightness enabling them to be half as dim as the current lowest light levels on the (Original) OnlyKey. Brightness would be adjustable in steps of either 100 or 1000 depending on what hardware is available.
10.) Full-Size USB Type-A Port on one end with the ability to split open and offer a Micro USB Type-B port, on the other end would be a USB Type-C port. All ports would be gold-plated & made from corrosion resistant metals (No cheap & rust-prone raw steel here!).
11.) A completely flush too and bottom surface with no bumps (Except where the capacitive buttons are), and, No exposed traces on any sides of the device. (Except of course the copper contact pads/fingers for the USB ports, because the device can’t work without them!)
12.) White PCB Colour by default to distinguish it clearly from any other versions of the OnlyKey.
13.) Matt finish, Matt Touch, Black Nylon Casing as standard, with Aluminium Alloy & Titanium Alloy casings available from the Official OnlyKey Store (& other official retail outlets) for an additional fee.
14.) Eight pre-made built-in anchor points on the casing to allow the user to attach a lanyard or string to the OnlyKey Pro, each anchor point would be located on the outer corners of the casing just before the USB ports at each end, inset about 2-3mm from the face of the USB ports.
15.) On-board Over-Voltage protection on ALL USB pins to ensure that even if someone tries to tamper with your hardware it will not work.
16.) Apple MFi Certified USB Type-C to Lightning Adapter included in the box as standard to allow for usage if the device with all possible platforms without limitations.
17.) 100% recyclable cardboard box packaging, No plastic of any kind including bags, cable ties, etc.
The outside box would be plain brown and use soy-based ink or a similar plant-based ink to print the details of the product onto the box.
The box would hinge open and inside you would find your OnlyKey Pro secured in place within a cardboard tray cutout and below it would be another cutout for the Apple MFi Certified Adapter.
The instructions would be located underneath both of these and the box would be as small in size as possible in order to reduce waste at all costs.
All adhesives used throughout would be plant-based or organic-based and fully biodegradable. The Anti-Tamper seal would be a thick paper-based seal with biodegradable adhesives and would have the OnlyKey logo embossed into it.
Additional Ideas [In no particular order];
1.) A tiny piezoelectric vibrating unit would be built into the OnlyKey Pro so that when you touch the capacitive buttons you get a slight haptic feedback as an additional form of validation that your input has been detected as you unlock the device or use it on a day-to-day basis.
The target price for this would be £100 GBP/€110 EUR /$125 USD.
It would be aimed at people who already own an OnlyKey and are after something that offers a bit more at an acceptable price premium, and, priced similarly to competing options on the market.
And aimed at people who may not own an OnlyKey but want the best product on the market in an Open-Source package.