New gadget promises to charge your phone twice as fast

The Legion Meter safely ups the flow of power into a handset's battery and can cut charging times for both Apple and Android devices.

The Legion Meter safely ups the flow of power into a handset's battery and can cut charging times for both Apple and Android devices.

Two separate reports published this month both highlight that the number-one feature that consumers demand from a smartphone isn't screen size, or even image-taking quality, it's a long battery life.

Therefore it's with perfect timing that the Legion Meter has just appeared on Kickstarter.

It can't eke more juice out of an iPhone or Nexus 5, but what it can do is seriously accelerate recharging. Plug the phone's charging cable into one end of the device -- which is pretty much the same size as a USB key -- and plug the other end into a computer's USB port or into a power socket via an adaptor, and it will 'supercharge' the battery.

Its makers, PLX Devices, claim it can charge a battery up to 92 % faster and do so safely. The device even has a small OLED display that will show how the battery is behaving and how much juice it has in real world terms.

What's more the same device -- which will cost $69 when it hits retail before the end of this year -- is compatible with both iPhone and Android handsets.

As a sweetener, the company was offering early-bird specials on Kickstarter for $39, but is completely sold out. What's more, the gadget has charged past its initial funding target and by some length. PLX Devices had been looking for $10,000 via crowdfunding but has already raised more than $211,255 and there are still over 20 days of the campaign remaining.