Native Union's Jump Is A Smartphone Cable That Charges Itself

Jump is Native Union's one-of-a-kind, all-in-one Lightning connector cable and backup battery pack charger designed for the iPhone 5s, 5c and iPhone 5. Android, Windows Phone and any remaining BlackBerry users will be glad to know that the Jump is also being offered in a micro-USB version alongside the Lightning connector variant. Native Union's Jump combines a lengthy yet neatly organized Lightning connector to USB cable made out of a durable nylon material that works just like the one Apple provides with iPhones, but in the center it features a highly-portable battery pack with just enough juice to charge your iPhone back to 30% in case of an emergency battery drainage. You can technically use the Jump as a Lightning connector charge and sync cable with an iPad Air or iPad mini, but you definitely wouldn't want to use it as a backup battery charger for tablet use considering its ill-equipped battery capacity.

The all-in-one unit charges its built-in 800mAh rechargeable battery once it senses that your iPhone completed its charging, and intelligently switches the power from your computer's USB port or any other USB power adapter in order to charge itself without requiring additional charging cables like traditional backup battery packs. Though this may be an early flaw for the Jump if users won't be able to charge it by itself without having to connect its Lightning connector cable to an iPhone. Although we think Native Union may have simply left that small detail out with regards to charging the Jump on its own. Update: and indeed Native Union has reached out to us to clarify that the Jump will in fact recharge itself even when it isn't connected to a smartphone device.

The Jump features a cable organizer that let's you wrap excess cable when you're either charging your smartphone or fully wrap the 19" long cable around it when it's time to slip it into your pocket. And because the Jump is as light as two AA batteries and small enough to fit into your tiny coin pocket on your favorite pair of jeans, you won't have an excuse not to take it with you at all times. There are three battery status LED indicators to let you know the battery status of the Jump with a push of a button.

Native Union's Jump is currently available as an early pre-order gizmo over a Kickstarter for $35 - $40. Native Union is targeting the month of May as a final shipping date for pre-orders.

Apple Debuts Official iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C Dock

Apple has quietly released a few accessories of its own to go along with its new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C devices, notably an official charging Dock made out of glossy white plastic and featuring a Lightning connector and audio line-out ports around the back. You can use it to sync, charge and connect your iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C to a speaker to play audio. Apple's iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C Dock accessory will be available to purchase for $29 starting September 20. We should note that if you have an iPhone 5, the new dock for the iPhone 5S will undoubtedly work with it as well.

eleMount Sticks On Anything To Mount Your Smartphone, Tablet

eleMount is one of the latest Kickstarter accessories to offer a simple and versatile mounting solution for smartphones and small tablets alike. The eleMount sells itself as a premium, universal aluminum mount that uses special, reusable adhesive sticky pads called elePads which form a strong bond on any flat surface without leaving behind any residue. The eleMount uses two of these elePads to secure itself onto car windshields, desks while the other lets you securely mount any smartphone or tablet like the iPad that has a flat smooth back, in either vertical or horizontal orientation. For movement, the eleMount's metal ball joint offers a firm 360-degree viewing angle adjustment without clamping down any locking mechanism. Unscrewing its bottom elePad reveals a threaded 1/4" 20 tripod adapter. 

eleMount’s simple and sleek design is due in part to its proprietary elePads, which eliminate the need for unsightly plastic locks and clamps. These polyurethane pads stick to almost any flat surface for incredible versatility, while their edgeless design supports a wide range of devices including iPhone 4/4s, iPhone 5, iPad, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Tab, HTC One and many more. The elePad’s easy-to-use design works just as you’d expect. Simply mount the elePad to any clean, dry surface, apply pressure and you're done. 

Although eleMount specifically claims to work on smooth flat surfaces, devices like the HTC One and Moto X which have a tapered back design to them will also work with the eleMount due to the large elePads and their great sticky compound. Early backers can secure an eleMount in either black or silver anodized and sandblasted matte finish for $59. For people who are more interested in the universal tripod mount side, there's the eleMount mini which is the same as the original model but without the elePad bottom portion that screws on and off.