If you routinely run out of juice on your iPhone but don't want to have to carry an extra USB cable around when you're on the go, this Kickstarter project is right up your alley. It's simply an iPhone cable that fits into your wallet.
The thinnest forms of the USB cable and 30-pin iPhone connector are only 0.1 inches thick; on normal cables, that's surrounded by a protective shell or decorative plastic. By excluding that, the makers of the ChargeCard have managed to get the whole down to that 0.1-inch thickness, meaning it'll slide right into your wallet.
The iPhone connector part sticks straight out, while the USB piece is on the end of a piece of flexible rubber so it can get to hard-to-reach ports. There are short cables out there already, and super-thin USB drives, but so far nothing quite like this. As the creators point out, it's a pain to have to keep a cable in your pocket, but you usually have a wallet or purse around that can handle one more card.
The ChargeCard is at just over $37,000 of its $50,000 goal on Kickstarter, and with 37 days to go it's very likely it will succeed. Many of the support levels (for the moment starting at $20) will get you one of the items as soon as they enter production, so you can buy now and get it later.
Android users are out of luck for now, but the makers say they are working on a micro-USB version, and hope to also support whatever rumored new interface that may come with the debut of the next iPhone later this year.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News. His personal website is coldewey.cc.
