ARK – a portable, wireless, Qi-enabled power bank

Say "Hello!" to ARK - one of those useful portable battery packs that charge your smartphone when it runs out of power. Designed with simplicity and ease-of-use in mind, ARK utilizes the Qi technology to transmit the much needed electricity to your mobile device's battery.

Just like with any other Qi-charger, you need to place your Qi-certified mobile device on top of the gadget and the charging process shall commence. ARK comes with a 5200mAh Li-poly battery on board and thanks to a USB port on one of its sides, the portable power bank can charge two devices simultaneously.

However, in order to power some of the devices that don't come with wireless charging capabilities on board, users will need an additional accessory or two. For example, iPhones require a special charging case, while Samsung's current and former flagships, Galaxy S3 and S4, need an inductive charging patch to be placed on their batteries. Both of these accessories can be obtained alongside ARK via Kickstarter.

Many things can be said about the exterior of ARK,but slim and compact are not among them. The juice bank has dimensions of 3.54 x 3.54 x 0.78 inches and tips the scales at almost 6 ounces. The outsides of ARK are covered with scratch-resistant coating, while the whole gadget is said to have a"reinforced major structure".

So, we've covered the basics, but what separates ARK from other portable chargers? According to Bezalel, the manufacturer of the gadget, thanks to an "innovative charging technique" ARK can charge a mobile device 20% faster than its rivals while still producing significantly less heat. Another useful perk is the Smart-Charging feature – if you remove your phone from ARK, it will detect the change and automatically turn itself off in order to save power.

The mobile charger is being crowdfunded through Kickstarter and has accumulated more than $27,000 until now. The campaign will go on for another 39 days and Bezalel hopes to raise at least $35,000. ARK is currently priced at $65 and is expected to ship sometime in March. Two additional ARK kits are available – one with an iPhone charging case and another one with an inductive patch for Samsung devices. These packages will cost you $79 and $73, respectively. If the company reaches its goal and starts mass production, ARK will be available in two colors – black and white.

source: Kickstarter via Techcrunch