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Australian tech firm HButler is showcasing a new line of ladies’ purses and handbags that
can recharge a smartphone at January’s Las Vegas consumer technology show (CES).
“Fashion and form are important, but so too is function — the modern-day accessory needs to not only hold your personal tech items, but keep them charged and ready for use,†said company co-founder, Ana Slavka. “It can also be quite a vulnerable experience to be without technology these days, and it’s reassuring to know that you’ll never be left powerless in a pinch.â€
The idea isn’t new. Indeed, HButler has been selling the Mighty Purse phone-recharging purse in the US since 2013, but for 2017 it has taken the original idea and expanded it to a full range of accessories in different styles and with different capacity rechargeable cells.
So now there’s everything from a wristlet bag that can hold a handset and credit cards but can also recharge a phone twice, to clutch bags and even practical reversible tote bags that can carry everything. Also new for 2017 is the Spark range of bags that are made from vegan leather and available in a range of colors. The batteries used range from 3000 mAh to 4000 mAh in terms of power so should be sufficient for completely recharging even the heftiest of latest-generation handsets. And because charging is via cables, the bags are compatible with all types of smartphone.
So good news for Apple iPhone 7 owners in particular who are discovering that the tiny battery inside the slimline handset isn’t capable of going a whole day on a single charge. The latest UK consumer association tests show that the new iPhone
offers 712 minutes of call time
(50% the call time of a Samsung Galaxy S7), or just 615 minutes’ web browsing (compared with the
HTC 10’s 790 minutes) before the battery is dead.
The expanded Mighty Purse range will start from $99.99 when it goes on sale, while the vegan leather Spark range will start at $69.99 following its CES debut, which in 2017 runs January 5-8.