The bKey, a Kickstarter project developed in Montreal, is a cable free backup battery for your smartphone that is the size of a car key.
Smartphone battery cases are bulky and can block the earphone jack. Small stand alone batteries are often too big for your pocket and require a cable to make them work. bKey easily fits in your pocket and everything is built right in to charge it and use it. You never have to remember to bring a cable or annoying adapter tips with you again.
One end of the key contains either an iPhone tip (30-pin or lightning connector) or micro-USB used for charging your iOS or Android device. The other end of the key contains a USB connector allowing you to charge the emergency battery backup.
bKey comes with a 270mAh lithium ion battery which can extend the battery life of an iPhone about 17 percent. The device is currently available on Kickstarter for $20. The Kickstarter project has raised over $63,000 which more than doubles its goal of $25,000.
All iPhone 5/5C/5S (8-Pin version) bKeys as well as all Micro-USB bKeys (Samsung, HTC, Blackberry, Windows, etc.) will be equipped with a larger capacity battery! This translates to a 17% increase in battery capacity for a total capacity of 270mAh, which will allow you all to talk, text and surf just a little while longer. In keeping with our mission to provide a highly portable and compact user experience, our engineers were able to accomplish this increase by adding a mere two (2) millimetres (approximately 0.079 inches) in thickness, while leaving the other dimensions unchanged.
If you are interested in the project, you can back the project for a minimum of $1. The Kickstarter project will be funded on September 2.
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17%, wow, what am I going to do with all that extra power 😉
Post to Facebook you’re almost out of battery of course!
Been looking for something like this. As a guy, not having a purse means the larger battery packs are a no-go, and some of the other emergency top-up keychain batteries are dodgy at best.
Will probably wait for version 2 or a competing product though; no reason to have it in the shape of a fat key (could widen the narrow part and then make overall block thinner/shorter for same battery capacity), and I wonder at the strength/longevity of the thin plastic bridge that a keyring would go through.
I made a pledge on this Canadian company. For $20 CAD tax included and free shipping, it’s not bad for emergency power. Wish them all the best.