Packing power for mobile devices

With people juggling multiple digital devices that constantly need charging, backpack manufacturers have sensed a market opportunity. Some new backpacks are specifically designed not only to protect our smartphones, tablets, laptops, headphones and game players, but also to recharge them and track their whereabouts.

For those who need power as well as protection, Tylt’s $170 (Rs 10,553) Energi Plus Backpack includes a 10,400 mAh battery, which can charge three devices simultaneously. Although it can hold up to a 15.5-inch laptop, it can’t charge one. The battery is intended for smartphones and tablets only.

The battery takes about seven hours to charge; once it’s 50 percent done it can begin to charge devices. There’s enough power to fully charge an iPhone 6 more than five times. If not used, the battery will retain its charge for around one year.

The bag is attractively designed, constructed of heavy artificial material, including an exterior pocket for a water bottle, a hardened one for glasses and others for small business items. Numerous USB cables are included, as well as an older-style Apple 30-pin connector.

Ampl Labs’ $299 (Rs 18,561) SmartBackpack, expected to arrive this year, has even more charging ports. And any of the bag’s six ports can be routed to any pocket. The included 5,000 mAh battery can charge a smartphone three times, or three smartphones simultaneously one time. Fast-charging technology allows the bag’s batteries to be charged to 80 percent capacity in one hour. The bag can be reserved on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo for $250 (Rs 15,519).

With an additional specialised battery, the SmartBackpack can also charge laptops and tablets. The tablet battery is $59 (Rs 3,662); the laptop battery costs $139 (Rs 8,629), or $179 (Rs 11,112) for an Apple version.

Ampl Labs also has a smartphone app to work with the SmartBackpack; the app monitors battery charge and remaining battery capacity, and allows the user to prioritise charging order when powering multiple devices.

The app also aims to prevent bag theft. Walk too far away from the backpack, and the app will alert you.

With the app, charging profiles can be created to prioritise certain devices and show only information pertinent to each user. The app can also be programmed not to alert the owner when the phone is separated from the bag; for example, if the owner is not working.

A backpack that offers even more flexibility is the $649 (Rs 40,289) Phorce Pro. It can transform from a backpack to a briefcase or messenger bag. It can also be expanded to twice its original size and is capable of holding a jacket.

The 26,000 mAh battery can charge an iPhone 5 14 times. The battery can charge a laptop, a smartphone, headphones - almost any modern electronic device.

Constructed of canvas and leather, the Phorce Pro contains padded pockets for a tablet and laptop. The three USB plugs can be used to power three devices and a laptop simultaneously. Devices charge as fast as if one used the original charging cables.

The Phorce Pro also has a smartphone app with features similar to those offered by Ampl Labs. Phorce said it would like to eventually expand the app’s functionality to include such capabilities as changing the bag’s shape and fabric colour, once that becomes feasible.

Even with a charging-capable backpack as expensive as the Phorce Pro, though, once the battery runs out, you’re stuck if you’re nowhere near an electrical outlet. Voltaic Systems makes a line of solar-powered backpacks to help keep you connected when you’re climbing a mountain or hiking and still need power to call a friend.

Its signature model, the $389 (Rs 24,149) Array, includes a ruggedised solar panel that stretches across the frame, and a 20,000 mAh battery, enough to charge a laptop.

The panel needs 90 minutes of sun exposure to sufficiently load its battery enough to charge a smartphone; two hours to charge a seven-inch tablet; and 11 hours to charge a laptop.
The Array comes with a selection of charging tips for smartphones and laptops.

Its solar panel can be detached and used with other bags, and its battery can be charged either via the sun, a car battery or a standard electrical outlet.

Whichever product might be of interest, one thing that they have in common: Their use gives us one more excuse to never disconnect from our digital devices.