We are three 22yo who put our university on hold to build a wireless charging phone sleeve. AMA!

Wireless charging produces a lot of heat. Wouldn't containing the phone within an "insulated" sleeve potentially cause overheating issues?

Also known as: "phone hot pocket"

It would. But we've been testing it inside the sleeve and outside the sleeve. The temperature has remained within acceptable levels. We did have an issue while testing with charging Ampere and charging your phone simultaneously for hours on end that led to us burning one prototype up. Now that was overheating.

This is a very common question though. What do you think is a good way to "prove" this? Would a timelapse video of your phone charging, with an app to monitor temperature, over the course of one night, help?

What do you think is a good way to "prove" this? Would a timelapse video of your phone charging, with an app to monitor temperature, over the course of one night, help?

That sounds good.

BRB (24 hours later...) [SPACE RESERVED FOR EDIT]

You didn't deliver :(

Apologies. The reddit mods deleted our thread without any reason/ contacting us, so I'll be posting the video directly to our Kickstarter page instead. But I'll share the video with you guys once its on KS.

Choco boco loco toco. Dothraki?

Yes. We figured we'll help some people out with their questions while spreading the word about us. The great thing is, the part about our product is completely optional information ;)

Don't you think 2700mAh battery capacity is a little low? Especially compared to XiaoMi's 5200mAh, 10400mAh, and 16000mAh battery banks that are so affordable.

True. During product development we consulted lots of people and there was always a struggle between greater battery capacity and "I need this to be slim and sexy or I won't bring it out". For people who need large battery capacities, we figured XiaoMi already caters to them pretty well. For those who aren't satisfied with their power banks however, because of looks or inconvenience, we think our product solves the problem of getting you through your day.

But thanks for your thoughts on our product. We're continually working at it. Do you already use power banks by any chance?

Agreed, do you have any plans to up the capacity? Also, do you have any plans to bump it up from 1.2A to 2A for faster charging?

For the current Kickstarter, we declared ourselves as production ready, which means we're sticking with our production plans and partners. Which also means we won't be changing the battery capacity for this run. But we definitely will look at squeezing more battery in there for future iterations. The USB output is at 2A, so it can power tablets, although you're unlikely to do that for long with a 2700mah capacity.

This isnt a new fucking thing

We were actually thinking that. But could you link us to a wireless charger in the form of a sleeve? We'd really appreciate that information.

What are your thoughts on Romelu Lukaku?

A flop this season, way overpriced and needs to buck up his game and start scoring for the toffees -Kenneth

What sets your product apart from other similar devices? How does the efficiency compare to that of a standard wall charger?

Our marketing mastermind Jared came up with this spiffy comparison table (https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/003/121/498/373f73e7ac186eb5133b92ce72c32433_large.png?1420789893) but for the most part, it's just much nicer to look at and use.

It's not as efficient as a quality wired charger. I'd say efficiency is about 70-75% with most other Qi Wireless Chargers. The form factor of the sleeve helps ensure optimal alignment though, which helps with efficiency.

EDIT: See elsewhere. Update: http://i.imgur.com/Yeq9Jc8.png Better?

Im pretty sure that 1000mA is just 1A not 1kmA. was confused as hell trying to figure out what is 22kmAh short for

It's a little worrying to trust them with charging my battery with a pretty large oversight like that...

Your criticism is warranted. Our only defense is that Jared knows nothing about electronics. Which is why we have Mark and his team and don't let Jared anywhere near the factory.

Is this better? http://i.imgur.com/Yeq9Jc8.png Let me know and I'll update the Kickstarter page. -Jared

As someone who is somewhat business savvy, I wouldn't avdertise that my competition puts out a better potential charge capacity. (If you absolutely have to keep it on there, make the comparisons for the competition, averages, instead of maximum charge capacity.)

I would instead focus on the "slim" aspect as that seems to be your key selling point outside of a new utility for charging.

You also may want to include more humor, it really helped me as a potential buyer want to read the rest of the infographic.

(Look at the part of the graphic with the old spice reference.)

:)

You caught it! Well, I guess everyone knows there are options out there with bigger battery capacities so we decided to just be frank about it. We still think there's a strong reason for our product to exist regardless.

Doh

I like the comparison, I also like how honest you are on it. I am not a marketing guy, but as a consumer I feel like the "Distinctive design - looks and feels unique" is somewhat disingenuous, and kind of rubbed me the wrong way. It just sounds like the soulless marketing garbage you hear from so many companies.

Couldn't you mention something along the lines of the materials (it looks like it is leather?), or maybe the fact that it also protects your device (it looks like it doubles as a cover?).

What do you mean Compatible with > iPhone? I feel like that line could use clarification.

Also, what does the High - Medium - Low mean at the bottom of the image?

Hmm, ok we'll look at fixing that graphic. Yeah we were referring to the leather on Ampere, we're rather proud of that because it was originally to be PVC, but we managed to secure a top-grain leather supplier.

EDIT: See elsewhere. http://i.imgur.com/Yeq9Jc8.png

is Delane attached? I kid.

Were your parents/friends/teachers (knowing typical singaporean parents) supportive of your actions to put university on hold for this?

^{but really though, is she attached?}

LOL -Delane

It was hard to get their support initially. But we proved it with our passion and determination when we won our first competition with a prototype Mark made from disassembling other products. -Kenneth

What makes you different from companies already selling items like this?

http://luxa2.com/productlist.aspx?c=9

You linked to a website with a list of power banks, one of which is a snap on case, which is the closest, but still not the same. Do you've a direct link to a sleeve-style power bank that luxa makes?

I mean what is the difference? Is the point is that this one can still fit in your pocket?

The big drawback of that is not being able to use a case on your phone.

My question was mostly about, why is this more useful than any other power bank. What will make customers buy a sleeve over a normal power bank.

Yeah, I think that's the target demographic, and what their other comments have indicated. The focus group that they consulted with said that most power banks are prohibitive due to their size (Edit: size, inconvenience of requiring a cable, annoyance of getting stuck in a pocket...et al), thus the reason they set out to make a sleeve (which is also why these are a mere 2700mAh).

That's their thought process anyway. This will be desirable tech for on-the-go folks that don't stay in one place for too long, but do use their phones a considerable amount. So they can stow (charge), and go.

I don't think the sleeve will necessarily prohibit the user of a case, per se. On my past 4 or 5 phones I religiously used the Otterbox Defender cases. The thought being my phone is an investment, and when I move on to my next one I always eBay my old one, so i want it to be in excellent condition. Turns out I don't really need a ridiculously bulky case for my phones. I got a really low-profile case (made by Spigen, found on Amazon) for less than $10, and it came with a screen protector. It's done a phenomenal job protecting my phone at a fraction of the cost of the otterbox cases.

I don't fit the demographic these guys are targeting, and I'm assuming that you don't either. I'm at a desk all day and my LG G3's battery life is the best I've ever seen on a smartphone, and I've battery packs/charge cables at the ready if/when I need them.

That guy gets it.

Do you plan on finishing your studies at a later date?

Are you one of their mothers?

We have very conflicting opinions on what it'd be like to have Emma Watson as our mum. -The guys

But that's Emmat Watson!

Freudian Slip -Delane at the guys

What did you study?

See elsewhere! I was studying Industrial Design, Mark Electrical & Computer Engineering and Kenneth Business. So we think we've got a pretty kickass team ;) -Delane

How exactly did you go about getting this into mass production after getting the funds? Did you just approach a manufacturer or did they approach you for business?

Well it differs from component to component. But as novices, we felt it was right to work with an experienced industrial design firm called We Are Perspective, from the Pezy Group, who sourced some of our partners for us. There are others that we found, and others who found us! Our fabric manufacturer, for example, contacted us through our website.

Have there been any major setbacks in your endeavors? And if so, how did you overcome them?

We frequently console ourselves with the phrase "that's the startup life". I guess most recently, we realised our initial costings and Kickstarter funding goal had been set too low, and we were at risk of cancelling the Kickstarter.

Solution? HUSTLE. We went back to every contact and every business card and found investment to pull us through. So we live to fight another day!

How did the idea for this charger sleeve come about?

What were you guys studying towards at university before you decided to venture into making this charger?

We knew we wanted to solve the problem with our smartphones' battery life. The most straightforward way was through a portable charger. The idea really sprung from there and we tried out diff things from there until we got to the sleeve.

Check out some of our early prototypes (Photo courtesy of Liang Hwei from the Vulcan Post): http://i.imgur.com/0eVrCbF.jpg

One of our wackier ideas which we 3d printed was a wireless charger in the form of a book, so you could charge two phones on each page. We decided upon the sleeve because it was portable, easy to use on the go and a form people are already familiar with!

I was studying Industrial Design, Mark Electrical & Computer Engineering and Kenneth Business. So we think we've got a pretty kickass team ;) -Delane

Coke or pepsi?

Teh Peng. (http://supermerlion.com/kopi-teh/)

Let me ask you guys this profound question, do ya all like Fish Sticks?

I like to put fish sticks in my mouth. -Delane/Mark/Kenneth

How did you get funds for your early prototypes? I mean..before crowd funding.

Competitions (which pay for entry into more competitions) + Government Grant + Bootstrap (we don't draw a salary)

This is so lol. From their website;

"It began when Kenneth emailed an entire faculty searching for the next Elon Musk."

Because obviously to start a company you first need to find the next "insert hottest tech ceo here"

Kenneth, delane, & other guy. Why are you lying to yourselves?

This is just a fucking portable battery.

You don't really care about products or innovation, you just care about having a "start up"

You constantly refer to yourselves "as a start up", that's a huge red flag.

I would never invest in a "start up" that cares more about their tshirt design than the actual products.

Thanks for the compliment on our tshirt design! Anna will be pleased.

In all seriousness, we do get a little try-hard sometimes. But Reddit always lets us know.

I'm curious as to which phones are supported by this. From your kixkstarter page I noticed that it was the main groups of phones like the galaxies, notes, and I phones. Are other phones supported or is there a way to get them supported? For example I have the oneplus one and it doesnt look like I'll be able to charge it with this.

The OPO is not officially supported. Getting a generic microusb receiver like this one (http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Wireless-Charging-Receiver-micro-USB/dp/B00H7FJX7M) might work. We can't test them all so no guarantees though. We need to test to ensure efficiency + build quality of the receivers + alignment with our sleeve.

How are the three of you not finished university at 22?

The guys served two years of military service in Singapore.