We know that keeping our smartphones and tablets plugged in over night, well past the point of a full charge, will deplete precious battery life. But who among us purposely gets up in the middle of the night to unplug?
The team at UsBidi assumes very few, which is why its developers believe they have something special with a charging cord that automatically cuts off the power to a device when the battery is full.
UsBidi apparently has struck a cord with backers on Kickstarter. The UsBidi intelligent charger already has more than 1,000 backers with 41 days left and has well surpassed its $25,000 goal.
For smartphones alone, accessories are a $21 billion industry with $2.1 billion of that representing batteries and chargers. Many charging solutions, such as battery cases and portable power banks, focus on the mobile device user on the go.
The makers of the UsBidi cord feels it can extend battery life with “healthier” charges. The automatic shut-off is similar to an “auto-unplug” function. The cord will let you sync your phone or tablet with the touch of a button. Touching it again to turn of the sync feature and speed up the charging.
The braided cord also features LED indicators to tell you whether your phone is syncing, fast-charing or fully charged.
The price to Kickstarter backers is $18, about half the expected retail price. The cord is available with Lightning or micro USB connectors. UsBidi expects to ship in February.