Energizer’s Gigantic Battery Phone Just Ran Out of Juice

Earlier this year , the Energizer Power Max P18 K Popmade a splashat Mobile World Congress thanks to its massive size and 18,000mAh battery . But while everyone wants expert bombardment life on their smartphones , it turn out no one wants it so unfit that they ’d be uncoerced to lug around an column inch - thick-skulled brick . Today , the phone ’s Indiegogo campaign falter into oblivion , raising a bare $ 15,005 of its ambitious $ 1.2 million finish — a paltry 1.2 percent in total .

Still , it ’s kind of operose to be terribly sad since this was clear a stunt , to begin with . While we initiallyreportedthe phone would go on sale for 600 euro ( roughly $ 675 ) this summertime , Avenir Telecom — the fishy fellowship behind the phone — went to Indiegogo in the first billet . There ’s a reason most tech journalist are wary of products thatrely on crowdfunding campaigns . Most are gimmicky epitome hocked by vendor that are n’t intended to see the light of day , disregarding of how much media bombilation it might get . The single that do make it are ordinarily run by companies likeSphero , which have a expert reputation for bring products to market , do n’t really need the John Cash , and mostly use crowdfunding platform to engage with a community of enthusiast .

There are definite sign that the Energizer earphone ’s Indiegogo campaign was more stunt than a realistic fundraising attempt . Although it offer a discounted $ 549 former bird price , $ 1.2 million is a elevated goal that would ’ve demand significantly more backers than the eleven it actually received . That means an intermediate contribution of over $ 1,300 per angel , which does n’t bode well for the viability of any crowdfunded project . second , this sort of mathematical product always does well on a stagecoach like Mobile World Congress , where it declare oneself the exact kind of novelty and spectacle that grizzled tech writer and enthusiasts can gawk at . In existent living ? The food market for the P18 K was always give out to be much more corner , peculiarly given its chunky build .

This is a thicc ice cream sandwich boy.

This is a thicc ice cream sandwich boy.Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)

Originally , the phone was mean to deliver 90 hours of call sentence , 100 hours of music playback , two twenty-four hour period of video playback , and 50 sidereal day of understudy all on a single charge . Now , I would love that but not at the expense of block around an factual brick in my purse .

nerveless . Call us when it ’s thin . For now , us regular folk are perfectly fine settling for an extra battery charger or international battery .

[ IndiegogoviaThe brink ]

Photo: Sam Rutherford