JUMP Cable: A Smart Charging Solution That Doubles as a Battery

Note: This post was first published on the Jan 14, 2014.

One of the biggest drawbacks of smartphones is their battery life. That’s the main obstacle to constant connectivity. While the many heavy battery cases and bulky power banks can help you keep your smartphone powered, they often bring more headaches, as they need to be separately charged too.

If you can relate to this, then Native Union’s JUMP Cable might be the solution to your smartphone-charging problems. The JUMP Cable is a lightweight USB charging cable with a twist: it also has a small self-charging inline battery that provides your smartphone with some much-needed emergency backup power.

What Is The JUMP Cable?

The JUMP Cable is a USB charging cable with an inline 800mAh battery that weighs less than two AA batteries. It is small enough to fit in your coin pocket. The makers claim that the 800mAh battery is powerful enough to add a third to the battery life of an iPhone 5/5s and is good for nearly 4 hours of talk time or web browsing.

The cable itself works like a normal USB cable: it will charge and sync your phone, and it supports high-speed data transfer. One of the most interesting things about the JUMP Cable’s battery is its patented AutoCharge technology. When you plug it into your phone and a power source for charging, the moment the smartphone battery is full, JUMP Cable automatically charges itself.

The JUMP Cable will also work with wall sockets and car chargers, so you can use it with just about any source you’d normally use to charge your smartphone.

The JUMP Cable comes in both Lightning and Micro USB versions. It’s currently being funded on Kickstarter, and a $40 pledge will get you either version if you’re in the United States.

If you’re outside of the United States, you’ll have to add $10 for shipping. The JUMP Cable has already hit its funding goal, so barring any manufacturing issues, you should be receiving your JUMP Cable in May 2014.