Juicebox Could Be Your At-The-Bar Smartphone Charger of the Future

[Marshall Veteran]

Despite all the advances in mobile technology, even the best cell phones can't sustain a charge all night. (Especially not when you're calling, texting, and web surfing all at once.) In particular, bars and pubs are notorious for customers that abuse wall sockets and bartenders' stations for a quick charge.

But one day, the Juicebox might change things for the better. According to Mashable, this new brand of charging station has been in the prototype testing stages for a few weeks in the New York bar scene. They're easy to use, sleek-looking, and can charge just about any model cell phone that exists, displaying some impressively accessible technology.

While charging stations aren't exactly new, the Juicebox incorporates a safe payment and locking system that's tailored specifically for public hangouts. Anyone needing a charge simply has to swipe their credit card, choose their language, plug in their phone (iOS, Android, or Blackberry) into the open dock, and lock up afterward. Retrieving the phone is as simple as re-scanning the same card, and the system even recognizes when you leave your phone in the dock -- in case you're just checking your messages.

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[AJerman]

Damn, my friend came to me with this idea just a month or two ago. Looks like we were a little too late!

[+Xinok Subscriber²]

The average cell phone charger draws maybe 3 watts. Over a few hours, you may reach 0.01 kilowatt hours. Electricity costs about $0.15 per kilowatt hour. This means you can fully charge a cell phone 6-7 times for just one cent.

I have an older cell phone which only takes about an hour to charge. This is how much power it would consume in that time:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=525+milliampere+*+4+volt+to+kilowatt+*+1+hour

[AJerman]

The average cell phone charger draws maybe 3 watts. Over a few hours, you may reach 0.01 kilowatt hours. Electricity costs about $0.15 per kilowatt hour. This means you can fully charge a cell phone 6-7 times for just one cent.

I have an older cell phone which only takes about an hour to charge. This is how much power it would consume in that time:

http://www.wolframal...lowatt+*+1+hour

I think I calculated out a smartphone to cost roughly 5 hundredths of a penny to charge for an hour. (Most smartphones charge off 5v and 1A, so 5W, commercial power averaged $0.10 per kWh based on a 2009 number I found, 5/1000*0.1=0.0005 if all my math is correct) Charge even a dollar per hour and you have an affordable way to charge your phone for customers, and an easy way for a bar/restaurant/store to make some extra cash. Who here wouldn't pay $1 to charge their phone for an hour when you're at the bar and it's dead?

[libertas83]

This is a great example of great idea but fail in overall design concept and implementation. It doesn't take into any consideration of how things work in the real world with people.

1.) In bars people are going to be drinking so they will never remember to get their phone.

2.) Restaurants, bars, and cafes are all social interactions as well as eating and drinking so people will be in more of a hurry to get going and not want to go pick up their phone.

3.) Depending on how many are setup and where they are located, this can cause lines for people to get to their phone.

4.) People want to keep their phones on them to use and stay connected.

So it will be gimmick at first that people will try but in the end, only when desparate will people do it and will likely regret it later.