Skip to main content

Plan V is a jumper cable that uses 9-volt batteries to recharge your smartphone

Plan V smartphone charger
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Whenever you leave home, plan A is to bring your smartphone charger and plan B is to hope someone around you has a charger for your kind of phone in case your battery runs out. But if those plans fail, there’s always Plan V, a “jumper cable” that recharges your smartphone with a 9-volt battery.

The Plan V is a small, unassuming, rubber keychain dongle that’s meant to be a last-resort smartphone charger. Open up the device, attach it to a 9-volt battery’s two terminals, plug the Plan V into your dead smartphone and you’ll have about four hours of talk time (or about 40 percent of battery life).

The logic behind leveraging 9-volt batteries is that they’re “about as widely available as chocolate bars,” according to Flintu, the group of engineers and designers behind the Plan V. Flintu also took inspiration from cars, which use jumper cables rather than a spare battery in the trunk when they’re in need of some juice.

Currently, the Plan V is compatible with smartphones that have micro USB ports. Flintu is awaiting Apple certification.

There’s a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the Plan V, which has raised more than $51,000 AUD (or about $43,000) from nearly 1,900 backers. The project closes on Dec. 24. Flintu hopes to make its first deliveries of the portable smartphone charger in February. (If Apple certification is granted, the Plan V Lightning is scheduled to ship in March.)

The Plan V will cost about $12.50 for supporters of the Kickstarter campaign, but it will retail for about $20.

 

Editors' Recommendations

Jason Hahn
Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…
Visible just made its unlimited 5G plan better than ever
Visible wireless phones and plans featured

Digital wireless service provider Visible has announced upgrades to its premium Visible+ phone plan. The highlight is a new Global Pass feature that allows Visible customers to use their phones in 140 countries worldwide.

The Visible Global Pass offers unlimited talk and text services, along with 2GB of high-speed data, for a flat rate of $10 per day. Visible+ members can also enjoy a free Global Pass usage day every month. The activation process can be done through the Visible app.

Read more
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the Wear OS smartwatch I’ve been waiting for
Person wearing OnePlus Watch 2 with a green strap on their left wrist.

The OnePlus Watch 2 -- the company's first Wear OS watch -- has entered a market that Samsung dominates. However, OnePlus' popularity as a smartphone brand can be expected to bring small, yet meaningful changes that benefit not only OnePlus users, but all of the Wear OS segment in general.

For almost a decade, Samsung and Apple have predominantly been the default options if you want a smartwatch that is actually useful and goes beyond flashy features. With Samsung shifting gears and migrating from its own Tizen OS to the (relatively) more universal Wear OS platform and Google releasing its own Pixel Watch after struggling with an identity crisis in the smartwatch world, the platform has much more traction than it did a few years ago. As OnePlus carves its way into the segment, it has the opportunity to entice people who don't wish to live within Samsung's limitations when using a Galaxy Watch with another brand's phone.

Read more
Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

Read more