Rechargeable batteries for your Apple Watch? This kickstarter wants to make it happen.
Taiwan-based Kickstarter Brilletark, has launched a campaign for one of the oddest looking accessories for the Apple Watch, we have seen so far.
PRIME is an Apple Watch strap designed to double as a rechargeable power bank.
According to the information and promotional videos on the kickstarter campaign page, the band’s rechargeable battery powers the Apple Watch through the not-so-secret 6-pin data port, located in the space occupied by the original strap. The port, never openly documented by Apple, at least not on purpose, has been “outed” by several tech sites, within mere weeks from the official launch of the Apple Watch.
Functional. Not much to look at.
There is a considerable chance that this gadget may work better than it looks, or at least as intended by its makers, as the effort put into the design of both available versions of the strap, shows a very rudimentary, industrial approach, with its “Meteorite Silver” iteration looking excessively heavy and bulky, even on a sizable wrist, almost to a point of being impractical, adding 200 grams to the Apple Watch housing.
The other version, in “Obsidian Black”, is much lighter, adding only about 80 grams to the weight of the Watch. By the same token, the width of the strap is identical to its heavier counterpart, at 42 mm, which makes this strap comically huge, when compared to the strap that the Apple Watch comes with.
Separate power bank/hub
The PRIME strap comes with an external hub, capable of recharging the swappable battery in the strap. The external unit is fitted with an AC plug and a reversible USB 2.0 charging port.
Is it worth it?
When it comes to wearable power banks, we have to admit that PRIME may very well be one of the most functional concepts available so far, and specific to the Apple Watch. Swapping batteries seems to take only a second, and one swift motion, and even replacing the Apple Watch face, doesn’t seem overly complicated, for those comfortable enough to get past using a tiny allen wrench.
At the same time, there are obvious design issues. The unit is definitely too heavy and bulky to be worn comfortably when running, or even hiking.
The Obsidian Black version is prices $199, while the Meteorite Silver iteration comes with a $299 price tag. Whether or not this device is worth the price, it really comes down to how accurate are the performance claims. As stated from PRIME’s kickstarter page, this wearable power bank provides as much as 6 hours of additional talk time and messaging, and the ability to completely recharge both batteries within 2.5 hours.