Mini charger set to solve cellphone ‘juice’ failure
Running out of cell battery power will soon be a thing of the past with a disposable charger by Israel’s mobeego
As cellphone manufacturers strive to develop batteries that will last longer, an Israeli start-up is tackling the problem from a different direction – developing a disposable charging unit that can recharge a phone, giving it enough juice to keep going for up to four hours.
It’s not the only solution to on-the-go charging, but at an expected list price of $2.50, it’s likely to be one of the cheapest. “We’ve been getting inquiries from all over the world. People are really excited about the ‘mobeego,’” a company spokesperson said.
The Israeli start-up of the same name designed and is manufacturing the small, disposable mobeego charger, and intends to bring it to market over the next year. The company describes it as “an energy drink for the mobile phone.”
The charger — designed in the shape of a can of Red Bull or Rockstar — will fit any Android or iPhone model, but requires a universal adapter, which will be sold at the same sales points that the chargers are sold for a one-time fee of $5.
Although disposable, the charger – essentially a battery that transfers its power to the device’s power supply – is recyclable, and users will be encouraged to return them to the company.
The power is stored in the disposable charger, which can charge the device to provide between one and four hours of power usage (depending on model, how the device is used, etc.); the power begins to flow immediately when the system is attached to the device.
The system is indeed compact. The mobeego adapter weighs 4 grams (0.14 oz.) and is 2.2 cm. (0.87 inches) long by 2.6 cm. (1.02 inches) wide. The charging unit weighs 24 grams (0.85 oz.) and is 2.2 cm. (0.87 inches) long by 4 cm. (1.57 inches) wide.
Israeli start-up mobeego invented the environmentally-friendly charger and spent over a year on its development, and is now working to establish franchise-based distribution networks worldwide with an emphasis on developed countries. The company is already in advanced talks with potential franchisees in several countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, Russia, South Africa, Chile and Israel. It also plans to sell several hundred thousand charging units over the coming months, growing to several million units a year by 2016.
The company is currently working on building a distribution network, the spokesperson said. The chargers will be sold at kiosks, convenience stores, bus and train stations, vending machines, hospitals, airports, cinemas, theaters, sports stadiums, and entertainment venues for shows, concerts, and anywhere else people are likely to see the power in their cellphones run out.
The company will also soon launch an additional version of its charger, which can charge extreme cameras such as GoPro Hero, Xiaomi Yi and various other extreme cameras, mobeego said.
mobeego was founded in 2014 by “two guys who wanted to fix a widespread problem: mobile phones that aren’t mobile if they run out of battery power,” the company said. “We focused on creating a high-quality, user-friendly and efficient product that is built with the ability to mass produce and distribute worldwide, while maintaining a safe and eco-friendly focus.”
