Smartphones: they’re a source of entertainment, information and anxiety. Anxiety that comes from the dreaded “low battery” warning when you’re too far away from a charger to plug in before the screen finally goes dead. The obvious solution is a higher-capacity battery, but that brings its own issues.
The Xoo belt ($249), when it was announced, looked like it could be the answer to this problem. Promising up to 2100mAh of charging power, it would be enough to keep most smartphones powered for the day and it would do so in a discreet manner, while managing to be useful itself.
The belt was originally supposed to have the charger built in: a flexible battery that would provide most of the power. That was abandoned after problems emerged: quality-control issues, the potential for failure of the device after a time, and some bubbling on the belt.
Instead the charger in the buckle has been upgraded, so now the belt will provide 1600mAh power. That may not be enough for a completely full charge of a high-capacity battery, but it will get you out of the danger zone and keep you connected for some time.
Your phone goes in to your pocket, and you can plug the charger in discreetly, with a Velcro strap to hold the cable in place on the back of the belt when it’s not being used. There are no battery packs to hide away, no weighing down of your pockets with heavy accessories, no trailing wires. The belt itself is available in a range of styles, depending on how much you are willing to pay; looking at it, you’d think it was a regular belt with a fancy ratchet-style buckle that adjusts to fractions of a centimetre. There’s no outward indication that this is anything other than a belt. It passes that particular test, and that’s a good thing. Part of the problem with “wearable” tech is that it hasn’t really been all that wearable. Sometimes it is too heavy, or too bulky, or just stands out too much. If you like your tech, or it fits your particular style, that is fine, but it excludes a lot of the market.
The only giveaway is that the buckle itself has LEDs to let you know the current battery life. It’s a perfect compromise: useful yet wearable. It even goes through airport security x-ray with no problems.
Charging the buckle can be done through a micro USB, and a full charge will take a couple of hours. It ships with a low-profile USB cable that you can use to charge your own devices, although an Apple cable will fit. The key is that it can’t be anything too bulky, or else it won’t sit flush with the buckle.
Overall, the Xoo does exactly what it promises: gives you extra power when you need it in a form that is convenient to carry.
The good
The belt itself is good quality, and the buckle doesn’t feel like any more of a weight than normal. The LED lights on top make it easy to gauge battery life, so you can see if it needs a charge without too much effort.
The not so good
The original idea – the charger in the belt itself – was a great one. If you’re hoping for that, though, the belt buckle charger doesn’t seem quite as revolutionary. You’re also limited, for most people, to a single smartphone charge because of the battery capacity.
The rest
Xoo offers belts in a range of styles and sizes, so you can choose what fits your personal style.
The verdict: Wearable technology that’s useful.
Three stars
