SOSCharger arrives on Kickstarter, delivers self generated power to your iPhone

By chrisoldroyd
last updated

The SOSCharger has arived on Kickstarter and looks to solve the age old solution of a dead phone battery when you are no where near a power outlet. The SOSCharger is a self generated power charger which means you wind up a handle which creates power for your iPhone. Going one step further, the SOSCharger also has a built in 1,500 mAh Lithium Polymer battery so it has the power to charge almost any phone on the market. If the extra battery dies, you then have the option of using the manual crank handle; 3-5 minutes of cranking will provide 5-12 minutes of talk time.

You can charge the SOSCharger with your standard USB wall charger; the same one that came with your smartphone or Bluetooth device. Once the battery is charged, the SOSCharger acts as a backup power source for your USB-powered devices.The incorporated hand-crank turbine, utilizes a powerful generator, combined with a long-handle for more leverage and easy turning. If you run out of internal battery power, or you just want to keep the battery topped off, you can turn the handle to charge it up. Just turn the handle and the battery charg)es. We’ve included an indicator so you know when it’s charging and how much juice you have in the battery. What could be easier?

If you are often out of reach of a power outlet or spend a lot of time camping or hiking this is certainly an excellent accessory to have in your backpack. The comfort of knowing that you will never be without your iPhone in critical situations is a very welcoming thought to have.

If you would like to get in on some early SOSCharger action you can grab one when / if they make it to production. A minimum pledge of $35 will be enough to get one including free shipping. There was a cheaper offer at just $25 however that has now all been taken up and the SOSCharger has already smashed through its pledge goal of $27k; it currently sits at over $40k and still has 39 days to go.

What do you think of the SOSCharger? Would you carry one around with you for that extra piece of mind?

Source: Kickstarter

chrisoldroyd
chrisoldroyd

UK editor at iMore, mobile technology lover and air conditioning design engineer.

22 Comments
  • Peace of mind. Not piece of mine. Seriously.
  • I am so sorry for that heinous error, it has now been corrected!
  • Wow this would be really nice.. But it would be really funny if you have to crank this up in front of your friends.. Will make you look like a jackass.
  • Actually, quite the opposite in a hurricane Sandy situation... when everyone about you has a dead phone, and you can crank yours to life... they'll all want a turn with your crank.
  • Exactly !!! I remember that, and the hordes of people huddled around power strips like animals.
    It was crazy, this is a great little device to have.
  • I jumped on this one after having several others, Li Ion, Li Polymer, AA and AAA batteries. The point is that these all went dead after not using them for a while. There are ofcourse a dime a dozen of these wind up chargers (ebay) but this one looked more promising. I will have this one with me on trips in the boondocks.
  • I'm looking forward to the resolution of the battery dilemma once and for all!
  • When I was a kid, I had a hamster. I probably could have harnessed all that nocturnal energy he had into power for a smartphone, as he ran on his little wheel in the cage.
  • Looks cool. Once I finish winding it up, i will have no energy left to make a phone call :-)
  • You'd have to do periodic cranking to get the phone to full charge or useful charge. But for an emergency call it would do the job.
  • I think it looks great. I am not sure about the crank for 5 min and talk for 12. My experience with similar devices its more like crank for 30 min and talk for 5. Maybe this one is better.
  • I wonder how long would you have to crank to charge the device completely.
  • This is truly a wonderful creation. I'm sure a lot of people will be underestimating its usefulness, but you have no idea how useful this can be when you are stranded somewhere without an outlet near by. This may sound far-fetched, but this could easily save a life; literally. However, in the past it took like an hour of cranking in order to get out like 10 minutes or more. Personally, I think this little charge should not only have a battery inside, which it does, but some decent solar panels woulda been awesome.
  • Why is this any different or better than the dozens of hand crank/radio/cellphone chargers already on the market?
  • Are there a lot? I thought there were only a few others. ><
  • That's kind of cool, I wonder how long you have to crank to get a substantial amount of power.
  • Appears to be thick
  • Sweet! I could be a total ass at the airport with that. Might have to pick one up after release.
  • Woah! This would actually be really awesome to have! I've bought two similar products before that are emergency battery packs for your phone, but they didn't have the crank to power feature and barely held a charge so I never use them. This I would seriously consider buying though. If I wasn't broke, I'd go pledge right now for one!
  • since i love to camp and be outdoors this is great news
  • Learning more about the product, I think it would be a must have for anyone! Not just for your battery, but for emergencies like hurricanes, or blackouts!
  • During hurricane sandy we lost power for 11 days and gas lines were atrocious, over 7 hours to fill up in NYC. My mom had purchased an am/fm radio and flashlight (2 separate devices) that had crank handles to charge the internal batteries. There was also the option to use standard AA batteries but these came in handy when listening to the news and using the flashlight at night. I said to my family that there should be one like this charge your phone instead of charging in your car with car running and using up precious gas. I would get one to use at Mets games since I'm there usually 3 hours before a game, during game and an hour or so after and heavily on social media. This would come in handy to have