The bKey is an external iPhone battery small enough to fit on your keychain

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Screen Shot 2014-09-03 at 10.05.28 PM

These days, most of us have no shortage of extra batteries that can juice up our iPhones and iPads in a pinch. The problem is that none of them are there when you actually need them: you’ve forgotten them at home, or they’re in that other bag.

The bKey is a new Kickstarter project that aims to make that problem a thing of the past by shrinking down an external battery to the size of a key. And if you’ve got a battery on your keychain, you’ll never be without a charge.

Here’s how bKey pitches their product on their Kickstarter campaign, which has already raised over $57,000 USD:

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.

Of course, it’s not a huge charge: just about 270mAh, which is roughly enough to charge your battery around 20%. But if what you need is just a little more juice to get you to the next outlet, or through a phone call, the bKey is a smart idea.

The bKey will come in versions compatible with 30-pin or Lightning iOS devices, or micro USB for you Android users. And the price is surprisingly affordable: you can preorder a bKey for yourself now a little under $23, with bKeys shipping in December.

Source: Kickstarter

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