Gallery Phone

The project, launched on Kickstarter, claims to be “the smallest emergency phone charger”. Its 220mAh battery could in theory charge a smartphone to up to a seventh of its capacity. Makers Devotec, who want to raise funds for testing, manufacture and certification, claim it “could give you around 20 - 30 minutes extra talk time, or up to a few hours more standby, depending on how you use your cell phone”.

The Fuel uses a microUSB charger, which is standard on all smartphones except the iPhone. An Apple-compatible version is however planned for the future.

Devotec is aiming to raise $20,000, and after launching last week are already approaching $18,000. The device would sell for around $25, and the makers claim it would be“Perfect for when you have had an unexpected delay, or havent been able to fully charge your phone, and you need to make a few calls, send a work email or use your GPS and maps function to find your way home.”

The charger, made from lacquered aluminium, measures 1.3 by 0.9 by 0.5 inches, and is able to keep its charge for up to three months. It is recharged by microUSB and also features lights to display its charging status.

Devotec is best known for its solar-powered Bluetooth speakers and solar chargers. Although Kickstarter is increasingly being used to garner publicity for projects from major businesses, Devotec claims “We need to buy the aluminium toolings, pay for the first production run, and pay for all the certification like CE, RoHS, and WEEE.” Early backers

LG Electronics (LG) today introduced the world’s smallest wireless charger at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. At only 6.9cm in diameter, the WCP-300 is designed with portability in mind. Despite its di-minutive size, the charging area is 1.7 times wider than that of LG’s previous generation wireless charger. The new model is compatible with a standard 5-pin micro-USB charger, providing the highest level of charging performance and user convenience.

The WCP-300 employs electromagnetic induction technology and is Qi certified by the Wireless Power Consortium. Electromagnetic induction produces a magnetic field that in turn generates an electric current to charge the batteries in devices placed on the charging pad. Certification ensures that the WCP-300 is compatible with all smart-phones that support the Qi standard.

“Wireless charging is the holy grail of smartphone user convenience,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “With the WCP-300, LG was able to deliver both portability with top-class charging capabilities in a device no larger than a typical beverage coaster.”

In the US market, both the LG Spectrum 2 and Nexus 4 feature built-in support for wireless charging right out of the box, eliminating the need to purchase separate covers. LG believes that built-in support for upcoming smartphones will be the most critical development in making wireless charging the industry standard going forward.

LG is committed to offering consumers a better mobile user experience by introducing smartphones with more advanced wireless charging technologies in the global market.