A group of engineers are currently busy working on a Reserve Strap – an accessory aimed at the Apple Watch. As per the team, Reserve Strap is capable of boosting the watch’s batter life by 125%. Apple has already released official guidelines for straps, third-party of course, thus allowing to companies to come up with new looks and functionality for Apple Watch.
The team is part of Mutual Mobile and is currently in prototyping phase of the product, however, the design has become far more efficient since the Apple Watch has launched. The latest rendering makes use of a connection to the gadget’s hidden diagnostic port instead of making use of wireless inductive charging. This allows for speedy charging and a much higher charging capacity.
The very first version of Reserve Strap had to be wrapped around the back of the watch, however, the latest version simply clips in and the back is left open. John Arrow, founder of Mutual Mobile, says that 125% estimate is based upon the initial testing that was carried out on both the 42mm and 38mm Apple Watch versions.
Apple has yet not released any permission for third-party strap manufacturers pertaining to using the 6-pin diagnostic port of the Apple Watch. Reserve Strap shall be adding a useful tool to the package that can be used to flip it open without any trouble. What can be determined from the documents that have been released by Apple so far is that the company wants accessory manufacturers to be focused on fashion and style of the straps instead of trying to add further functionality or battery enhancement.
As of now, the team is taking pre-orders @ $249 per unit. However, there is no mention of any shipping date or production schedule.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SgQASR1V6s