News: This Cable Can Charge Both Androids & iPhones

We've all been there—you're away from home, your phone's battery is quickly nearing zero, and you forgot to bring your charger. "Hey, does anybody have an iPhone charger?" you ask. Crickets. If you could understand cricket-speak, you'd know that they too were saying "Sorry, bud. We're all on Android."

But it might not be this way for much longer. An Australian startup is trying to put a stop to smartphone charging inequality with its new LMcable. The charging cable combines Micro-USB and Lightning cables into a single cord that can be used on both Android and iOS devices. As usual, a standard USB connector is on the other end.

You won't need to attach adapters to the cable or anything—LMcable has Micro-USB pins on one side and Lightning pins on the other, so switching between Micro-USB and Lightning is as easy as rotating the male connector 180° in your hand.

LMcable's Kickstarter campaign is still active, and there are still some good price cuts if you pledge now. You can get one LMcable for $15 (25% off), or pick up three for $32 (46% off). You'll also get your choice of four colors—brown, white, blue, or black.

UPDATE: LMcable's Kickstarter campaign was suspended on March 23rd. After the campaign went up, many clones appeared on Indiegogo and eBay, and LMcable's original Kickstarter campaign apparently got hit in the chaos, without warning. To stay updated on the release of this product, check out their website.

LMcable supports 2.4 amp fast-charging and also works for data transfer. The cord has tinned copper wire, and the connector is small enough that it should fit through most phone cases. It has a fashionable stitched leather sheath, as well as a button-up strap for neat storage. The first shipments are expected sometime in April.

And while USB Type-C is likely the connection for devices in the future (and a few devices now, like the Nexus 5X and 6P), the majority of smartphones and tablets today use either Micro-USB (most Android devices) or Lightning (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch).

The only real drawback to LMcable is that now you'll have to make double-sure that none of your friends walks off with your charger "by accident."