The SmartBackpack is Getting Close

March 1, 2015

Never want to be without ~~RedTube~~ Breach-Bang-Clear due to power issues? One of the newest Indie Go-Go projects that recently caught our eye is the AMPL SmartBackpack. Not only does this backpack have the power to charge all your electronic devices, you can prioritize which device charges first using an app on your phone.

The AMPL SmartBackpack was designed with a charging USB port in every single pocket, 7 pockets total. The bag has one main power cord you can plug in to any wall outlet, and 3 different expansion battery packs you can purchase to use in addition to the included battery pack. The three expansion modules include the TabletBoost SmartBattery, LaptopBoost SmartBattery, and Laptop Boost SmartInverter. All AMPL SmartBatteries have “adaptive fast-charging technology” according to the Indie-Go-Go, which allows Qnovo technology to monitor the status of each battery as its charging, and adjust the charge rate accordingly. When the SmartBatteries are docked together in the bag, they work together while powering your devices. This means you shouldn’t have to worry about how much juice is in each individual one, but at the same time you can still take one of them out of the bag to use as a standalone mobile charger. It also means you don’t always have to have the bag with you to have backup power.

The app is what really makes this bag a ‘SmartBackpack’. It does things like keep track of how charged each individual battery is, follow the status of the device charging, monitor the bag’s interior temperature, and allow you to prioritize which device needs to be charged first. One of the most important features, however, is the alert system. If your backpack gets too far from your phone for the bluetooth connection, it alerts you. This tells you one of two things- 1) “Hey dumbass, you left your bag behind” or 2) “Your bag is leaving without you, time to curb-stomp some asshole.”

The app also comes available with widgets you can install to your dashboard for even quicker access (if you’re one of those big brain types that understand widgets).

The bag’s materials and build are important too. Having your devices charged is nice, but what happens if it starts raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock? Will your electrothingamawhatsits be protected? AMPL says yes. They describe the bag’s exterior fabric as water resistant, so hiking during monsoon season shouldn’t be a problem as long as you have everything closed up.

Why you’d be hiking with electronic devices is beyond us, but then we also don’t think any camping that involves a power hookup is actually camping.

Oh, and the bag also features shock-absorbers in the bottom ‘sole’ of the bag for you klutzy fuckers that drop everything important several times a day.

The AMPL SmartBackpack is currently on IndieGoGo and so far has raised 111% of the funds needed to start this project. Their initial goal was $125,000 and as of Monday the 9th, they had raised over $138,000. With 24 days still left of the campaign, you have plenty of time to pledge a contribution and get in on it. The most popular package appears to be the one for $399; this is the whole set-up, including: SmartBackpack, TabletBoost, Laptop Boost, and Laptop Inverter. There are several smaller packages as well, which you can check out on the IndieGoGo site here. AMPL plans to deliver the bags in September of this year.