Mobile Technology

The diminutive Nipper charges your phone with two AA batteries

The diminutive Nipper charges your phone with two AA batteries
The Nipper itself is smaller than the AA's it uses
The Nipper itself is smaller than the AA's it uses
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The Nipper itself is smaller than the AA's it uses
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The Nipper itself is smaller than the AA's it uses
The Nipper consists of a couple of modules that are linked by a strap
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The Nipper consists of a couple of modules that are linked by a strap
The Nipper is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, with a pledge of £12 (about US$19) getting you one when and if they reach production
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The Nipper is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, with a pledge of £12 (about US$19) getting you one when and if they reach production
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There are already plenty of external back-up batteries for smartphones, although they won't do you much good if they've lost their charge by the time you finally need them. That's where the Nipper comes in. It provides some extra juice to your phone via two easily-obtained AA batteries, and is much smaller than most other AA-powered chargers we've seen.

The Nipper consists of a couple of modules that are linked by a strap. When not in use, those modules snap together via integrated neodynium magnets, forming a block slightly larger than a sugar cube.

The Nipper consists of a couple of modules that are linked by a strap
The Nipper consists of a couple of modules that are linked by a strap

When a charge is needed, the modules are pulled apart and two AA's are inserted between them, the magnets now serving to hold the batteries in place. The whole thing is then plugged into the phone's charging port. Users could buy the batteries at a nearby convenience store, or even "borrow" them from another device such as a TV remote.

According to the UK-based designers of the Nipper, two AA's in the device should provide over three hours of talk time, depending on the make and model of phone. The iPhone currently isn't supported, although an Apple-friendly version is in the works.

The Nipper is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, with a pledge of £12 (about US$19) getting you one when and if they reach production.

Should you feel like shopping around, you could also check out the cylindrical Charge 2 Go (which takes just a single AA), or the tiny Plan V – although it takes a 9-volt battery, which might be harder to find than a AA.

Source: Kickstarter

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4 comments
4 comments
DonGateley
I'd love to see this become a product some day but not enough to "invest." Please let us know if and when that happens.
ProfessorWhat
Yeah, I'm with Donny on this, just not really worth investing to get my hands on just that... BUUuuut, if it came with rechargeable AA's that could draw power from this as well, lots of things run on AA still, like my Life+Gear LG323; I would rather drain my phone to power my ACTUAL flashlight so I can get down from the mountaintop any night hands down!
digi_owl
Given that most devices work on 5V these days, and really want 1A or more to charge properly, i think this is dead in the water.
AAs come as 1.5V, thus 2 of them is 3V. If you then step that up to 5 you similarly reduce how many As you can get out before drained (looking at maybe 1500 for a pair of 2500AAs before conversion losses).
4 AAs would really be the minimum to top off a mobile these days.
wle
that would be what abour 1/5 of a full charge?