A new accessory that launched earlier today on the crowdsourcing platform Indiegogo attempts to solve an important concern with mobile devices—battery life—with an interesting twist.
Dubbed the PowerMe, this tiny multi-purpose dongle turns almost any mobile device outfitted with a microUSB port into a mobile battery pack for your other gadgets, including Lightning-enabled iPhones, iPads and iPods.
In addition, the PowerMe lets you share photos, music and other documents between devices and it’s small enough to easily snap onto your keyring.
Three devices in one
Created by three young students from Italy—among them Francesco Crema and Ludovico Cianchetta, the brains behind the Adappt, an affordable Apple Watch band adapter—the PowerMe can charge any microUSB or Lightning device by taking power from most smartphones and tablets.
“Mobile devices are all around us, and every device is a potential power source,” reads the site. ”With PowerMe, you can take energy from your friend’s phone, or share yours if someone needs it.”
The accessory includes a Lightning adapter allowing you to charge your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad from another device. Another cool thing about the PowerMe is that it doubles as a classic USB-A charging cable via another included adapter.
It allows the PowerMe to be easily plugged into your computer, or USB wall charger, and charge your microUSB or Lightning device.
As mentioned, you can use the PowerMe for syncing and sharing files between devices because it supports USB standards for data transfers. For instance, you can use the gadget to transfer videos and photos from a GoPro camera to your iPhone.
The PowerMe is compatible with USB OTG (On-The-Go) standard which permits USB devices like smartphones to act as a host. This lets other USB devices, such as USB flash drives, digital cameras, mice or keyboards, to be attached to them.
Availability
They’re aiming to collect $10,000 to take the PowerMe off the ground. Multiple tiers are available to early-bird backers, starting at $9 for the PowerMe itself, a 20 percent discount on the full price wit such perks as free international shipping and a free USB adapter.
The accessory will be available in white, gray, green, blue red and orange. Full production starts in December and first shipments should be expected in January 2016. You can back the campaign and secure your sample of PowerMe over at Indiegogo.