ChargeKey – A Pragmatic Approach to Phone Charging

The first time I came across this kickstarter project, I was like “Oh well, guys, don’t you think this is over hyped? What is it after all? Just a portable charging cable. Give it a break for gods’ sakes!” I very well remember the time I said that – just weeks after I got my first Android phone. Amidst all the bells and whisltes that a smartphone had, there was one thing for which I missed my Symbian very badly. Well, its obvious isn’t it? Battery of course. (What else am I gonna complain about?)

I spend at least three or four good hours a day just by talking over the phone. And I’m never used to putting my phone to charge daily. Well, as it turns out to be, I found that it was not the problem with my phone but every smartphone that’s out there can retain charge only to keep it running for a day at the most. I desperately needed a way out and that was how the I got to this project page– Nomad’s ChargeCard and what happened next– I told you already.

So, I decided to buy myself a portable charger – to get the phone battery charged up, when I was travelling, or at work or for some reason when I couldn’t get my phone connected to a port. I was excited for I was convinced that I had put an end to this power debacle. But, I failed to realize that the very reason for which I wasn’t able to put my phone to charge will again stop me from getting my portable charger battery powered up. At the end of the day, all I was carrying was a big chunk of metal bar that would feel so heavy in my pocket so much as to provoke a ‘What-am-I-carrying-this-for?’ thought in mind.

That’s when I came to realize that this ChargeCard was not so bad or (well, to be consciously clear,) a lame idea after all. USB ports have become ubiquitous and these things have popped up right on time. All you need to carry is a credit card sized key card that goes right into your purse or wallet. The size is so small and compact that you won’t notice a difference between this and the visiting cards you’ve got your wallet piled up with.

So, yeah, that is one version of it and the other one is the ChargeKey – that is smaller again, and is exactly the size of a new born lizard. It hangs, is flexible, fits anywhere and as the size suggests, is extremely portable as well. I’ve been using this about a week now and trust me, it just works!

Both the products – ChargeCard and ChargeKey come in two varieties – Apple Lightning connector and micro USB – all flavors of which cost the same – $25.

Only one thing that bogs me down is the price. $25 sounds like a lot of money for a product that is nothing but a charger cable at the bottomline. But, for the features and the flexibility it provides, I’d say you won’t regret for having bought it.

Subscribe to 4CAST

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 23 other subscribers