Lauren Goode

Recent Posts by Lauren Goode

Everpurse Promises Wireless Phone Charging in a Pretty Package

Phone-charging accessories may be lifesavers, but battery cases add a lot of bulk to even the sleekest smartphones, while some charging pads and packs can be cumbersome to tote around.

A new project launched on Kickstarter aims to offer a more fashionable phone-charging solution. Called the Everpurse, it’s a small, wristlet-style purse with a built-in battery pack for wireless, magnetic charging capabilities. So, drop your smartphone in your Everpurse and the phone will get a charge from the pack nestled in an insert in the bag. The project page for Everpurse claims the 2500 milliamp battery will fully charge an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S twice in a cycle.

Then the battery-pack portion of the system, as with other charging packs, must be charged itself through an AC adapter.

The Everpurse was created by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Dan Salcedo and Liz Ormesher Salcedo, who say they’ve been developing the product for two years. The technology behind the device is still patent pending, Dan Salcedo said.

The Kickstarter project officially kicked off last night. So far, more than $21,000 — more than a fifth of the couple’s $100,000 goal — has been pledged by backers. A leather version of the Everpurse, priced at $119, has already “sold out”; a $99 fabric purse is still available.

Just a few weeks ago, I reviewed the portable myCharge from RFA Brands, maker of Powerbag backpacks and messenger bags. The myCharges, which vary in cost and in milliamps, can be tossed in a purse or backpack to create a makeshift Powerbag, for charging on the go. The $100 myCharge is a 6000 milliamp battery pack — meaning it can charge an iPhone about four times in a cycle.

The myCharge also can charge up to three phones or tablets at once, through little rubber arms that protrude from the pack and offer a variety of charging connectors, like 30-pin, USB and micro-USB.

The Everpurse, on the other hand, is device specific, and can only charge one device at a time. So, if you’ve got an iPhone, you’ve got to order an iPhone-compatible Everpurse; if you’ve got an Android phone, you’ll need an Android Everpurse (which isn’t listed on the Kickstarter page, but the duo say they’re working on it), and so on.

If you’re holding out for a newer iPhone, the Everpurse creators say they’ll be working on bags for that device too, though they don’t know right now exactly what that will entail.

And the Everpurse works only with smartphones — not with feature phones and not with tablets.

But there’s no doubt the Everpurse appears to be more fashionable, if not more functional, than some bulky battery packs that promise to juice smartphones.

Dan Salcedo said he and his co-creator envision Everpurse technology working in suits and pants pockets, and are hoping to further develop and license the system to apparel makers.

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