As anybody travelling out-and-about frequently will know, keeping your iPhone (or any mobile device, for that matter) sufficiently juiced-up can be a trying task. New features being added in the hardware and software stakes all the time often prove detrimental to the battery life, and although most of us carry a USB cable around with us for such emergencies, it’s not a very practical peripheral. Enter ChargeCard, a self-descriptive accessory which slots straight into your wallet, just like a card, while including the correct connectors to turn any USB port into a Lightning / 30-pin/ microUSB connection ready to charge your device up at the drop of a hat.
The ChargeCard, like so many mobile device accessories nowadays, originally plied its trade as a Kickstarter project, at which time we featured it here at Redmond Pie. Having reached its backing total and ironed out all the bugs, its designers have managed to bring the concept product to the consumer market.
Like many, I tend to carry my notebook around with me, so whatever bag or case I take to keep it protected usually facilitates all my cables in one fell swoop. But if you’re just planning on taking your smartphone out, and, for whatever reason, you run out of battery, ChargeCard will increase your chances of giving your handset that vital injection of fuel.
A cable, of course, could easily be carried in a coat pocket for this purpose, but again, this requires premeditated actions of the user. If you change coats, or don’t intend to wear that specific coat wherever you’re headed, you must consciously consider your USB cable. Your wallet, however, is carried around as often as your device, and since it’s actually almost as thin as a credit card, you’ll scarcely notice its presence.
At $25, it’s a bargain, especially when you consider that Apple wants nineteen bucks for a Lightning cable which essentially does the same job. There’s also a version available for the old 30-pin dock connector, as well as microUSB devices.
Pre-orders are underway over at ChargeCardProject.com, and the ChargeCard will begin shipping in May. Although it’s not perhaps the sort of thing you would use all of the time, it’s a great investment for a product that could well help you out of a sticky situation.
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