When you're in a rush, it can feel your phone is taking forever to charge. A new cable, however, promises to cut the time it takes to charge mobile devices from a PC. The Sonicable is said to be able to charge any device twice as quickly through a PC's USB port than they would with regular charging cables.
Bluetech Industries, the company behind the Sonicable and previously the Slimger portable charger, argues that battery capacities have not kept up with the power-hungry technologies of our smartphones. Although the Sonicable can't remedy this, it is designed to ensure that, when you need to charge your device at a PC, you can do so quicker than you otherwise would.
In order to deliver the level of speed that's claimed, Bluetech says the cable allows users to select the type of functionality that it delivers. A switch on the cable makes it possible to select either regular mode or "Sonic" mode. In regular mode, the cable will both charge the user's mobile device and sync data from a computer. Switched to Sonic mode, the cable will direct all resources to charging the user's device, thereby doubling the speed.
That, of course, means that this only charges faster than typical PC charging, which is always slower than wall charging. It won't make a lick of a difference when charging through a wall outlet – a fact that the project's creators skirted around in the pitch.
In addition to the Sonic Switch, the cable has a reversible USB connector so that it can be inserted into a port either way up, as well as aluminum connectors and a thick nylon body for durability. It is available as an iPhone Lightning version and a Micro USB version, both 1.2 m (3.9 ft) long.
An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is underway for the Sonicable. At the time of writing, backers can pledge from US$27 to the campaign and receive a cable, assuming all goes to plan with production and roll-out.
The video below is the Indiegogo pitch for the Sonicable.
Update: We clarified the faster charging claims a bit more, to emphasize that this company can only claim that its cable charges faster than typical (slower than wall charging) PC charging