When you think of a power bank the picture that emerges is of a fairly compact device capable of charging smartphones and tablets on the go. But if you possess a really fertile imagination you could think of virtually anything, even something like Mr. Everything.
The brainchild of former Samsung senior engineer/researcher Jungmin Shin, Mr. Everything is a “smart device charging station” with a number of added features, including a Bluetooth speaker, LED lighting, utility box, and tablet stand.
Why this matters: It sounds like a decent device for those who prefer the outdoors but don’t want to leave their various gadgets behind. And how many power banks you know of that can jump-start your car’s dead battery? As with every other crowdfunded project, however, we advise more than the usual amount of caution for anyone considering backing this project, as many key details remain fuzzy.
Specs
The box has four USB charging ports, a Qi wireless charging pad, a Bluetooth speaker with NFC, an LED flashlight, a color-changing LED, and a tablet stand. If that’s not enough, it also has a small storage compartment where you can store everything from your various charging cables to USB thumb drives to first-aid materials. Finally, there’s also a Mr. Everything Plus, which has an AC power outlet in addition to all of the above.
According to the Mr. Everything Kickstarter page, the battery inside the box is rated at 100 watt-hours (that’s 6710mAh at 14.8V). The company says that’s enough juice to charge an iPhone 6 a maximum of 15 times or a 2015 MacBook Pro twice. Those numbers are only theoretical, mind you. We unfortunately don’t live in a device-charging utopia with 100-percent charge/discharge efficiency, so there are bound to be significant losses along the way.
While the latest prototype measures 10.6 by 7.1 by 5.1 inch, the developers seemingly believe a 30-percent size reduction is well within their reach. As for weight, they reckon the finished product shouldn’t weigh more than 4.5 pounds, with the battery alone tipping the scales at 3.5 pounds. On the subject of Mr. Everything’s audio capabilities, the developers told us they’re “reviewing 3 different speakers for the final version,” with the lowest-spec option being a 12W driver.
Although many key details haven’t been finalized yet, that hasn’t stopped people from pouring money into the project. As of press time, the Mr. Everything team has raised nearly $47,000 of their $100,000 Kickstarter funding goal. You can grab the $249 Mr. Everything and the $349 Mr. Everything Plus at discounted prices of $199 and $249 respectively as part of an early-bird discount.