Nov 19

Practical Meter is ready to rock and roll after successful Kickstarter project

Posted in: Today's Chili

power-practicalHave you heard of Power Practical before? They happen to be a bunch of people (who are comprised of engineers, entrepreneurs, and outdoor enthusiasts) who are based in Salt Lake City, being the manufacturers of the PowerPot. That is not all that they have worked on in the past, however, as here we are with the announcement of the Practical Meter. Back in June this year, Power Practical introduced the Practical Meter as a Kickstarter project, hoping to raise the necessary amount of funds on the crowd funding platform, offering a $9,999 goal that they had to meet in a matter of 30 days. The good news was, 10,000 units were pre-sold to the tune of $167,820 throughout the entire month’s campaign, and it was a busy couple of months afterwards to make sure that the Practical Meter could be ready to be commercially released in time as promised.

We are pleased as punch to announce that the Practical Meter is now ready to ship to all of its original backers, and those who are interested in picking it up via retail channels will be able to do so for $24.99 a pop. First of all, just what the heck is the Practical Meter all about? It happens to be a USB-meter which is capable of offering actual, real time feedback that enables one to check out whether their device is charging at half or full speed. The LED meters will light up right before your very eyes, letting you know of the power emission which ranges from 1 to 10 watts, and it will be able to cover the entire range of smartphone and tablet charging.

The Practical Meter is useful by itself, since it would help eliminate the slow charge times which are normally part of PC, solar panel and third-party charger charging. The Practical Meter is said to cut down charge times by as much as 75% thanks to the included 3-in-1 fast charging cable, and it will play nice with iOS and Android devices, micro and mini USB connectors.

Press Release
[ Practical Meter is ready to rock and roll after successful Kickstarter project copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

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Jul 03

The Practical Meter Speeds Up Charging Your Smartphone Over USB

Posted in: Today's Chili

Practical Meter w- charging cables

Here’s a neat gizmo for speeding up charging your smartphone over USB. The Practical Meter plugs into the USB socket you intend to use to charge your phone and has built-in indicator lights to show how fast the charging connection is. The problem its creators are attacking is the vast difference in charging rates over USB. Charge speed can vary depending on the device you’re charging and the USB port and charger cable you’re using. Yet this difference isn’t usually flagged up to the user.

The Practical Meter solves that problem by displaying the charging strength of the current combination — using signal bar style indicator lights — so it’s possible to figure out whether the phone is going to be fully charged in about an hour. Or require more like four hours to get juiced up. Here’s an example of the Practical Meter’s signal scale when charging an iPhone:

The Practical Meter has already passed its $10,000 funding goal on Kickstarter, with more than 3,200 backers and still more than 20 days to run on the campaign. Shipping date is pegged at September. Price per Meter is now $19, which also includes a three-in-one charger cable that’s designed to enhance charging performance. This cable has an Apple dock, Micro USB and Mini USB ends so it’s compatible with a range of phones.

Each of the three connectors has built-in circuits to maximise its charge rate — meaning the cable alone can speed up charging performance, according to its creators (the price for just the cable is $7).

Another possible use for the Practical Meter is in combination with a solar charging panel, as it allows the user to figure out the best position to place the panel to maximise its power output. The device can also be used for figuring out tablet charging rates too — although its creators note that it only meters the first 1000 mA (1 amp) of current, adding: “With our charging tips you will be able to draw 5 watts or 1000 mA of current into your ipad from your PC/Laptop! Stay tuned to learn about the possibility of a 10-watt version or stretch goal.”

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