Charge your gadgets on the go with a new 'smart bag'

We all love our gadgets. Going through the pain to charge them while you are on the move is an issue we have all faced. Meet Phorce, the world’s first ‘smart bag’ that will protect your precious gadgets and also charge them.

Phorce hit Kickstarter this week and has already taken the Internet by storm. The makers of Phorce, Marijn Berk and James Jeffery claim that their bag can charge up to three gadgets and power a MacBook for seven extra hours.

The bag comes in two varieties: one for USB devices and one for the more battery hungry MacBooks. Phorce contains an integrated lightweight battery pack that is powerful enough to charge an iPhone 5 eight times over, a Samsung Galaxy S III about six times, or an iPad Mini twice over.

The makers are also releasing an app that tells the user via Bluetooth the battery level of Phorce. If the user moves too far away from the bag’s range, it will send a gentle reminder to the phone asking if he/ she forgot the bag.

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Featuring a convertible design, Phorce can transform into a messenger bag, briefcase or a two shoulder backpack. It also has an expansion zipper that opens up in case you need more space for additional storage. Its creators claim that the bag is made up of coated fabric that is water resistant, and has waterproof zips to protect your gadgets from the forces of nature. Even with a 54Wh battery, Phorce weighs roughly the same as a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro making it lightweight enough to be carried around.  The bag will be released in four colours: black, red, dark green, and one chosen by voters.

Phorce was listed on to Kickstarter, a website funding platform for creative projects. The platform has helped raise funds for video games such as Project Eternity and Wasteland 2, as also technological designs such as the Pebble E-Paper watch and FORM 1, an affordable, professional 3D printer. The website crowdsources funds in order to help the designer produce it. In return, the supporters or ‘backers’ as they are called, are given tangible awards or experiences such as a dinner with the author as returns for their investment.

The makers of Phorce aim to at raise $150,000 to fully fund its development. As a token gesture, they mention on the site that they will add 10 percent battery capacity within the same weight and size dimensions if the project reaches its $750,000 goal.

The pre-order of the USB variety of any colour costs $199 but the Mac power bag is priced at a steeper $279. Besides the high price, users must keep in mind that this bag will only power their Macs and not charge them. This means that you will have to stay tethered to the bag while using your Macs, thanks to Apple’s limitations for how third party devices can provide power to its notebooks.

The project has already found 298 supporters, and has raised $74,085 with 29 more days to go. With this overwhelming response, it won’t be long before smart bags become available internationally.