The Pronto - Fast-Charge Battery

A 5-minute charge for this portable battery can fully recharge an iPhone 5

Portable batteries for charging mobile devices are great. Until they run out of a charge too. Then it’s usually hours of plugged-in time to fill the power pack back up. Not so with the Pronto: A portable battery charger that can ingest enough juice in just five minutes to completely recharge a dead iPhone 5.

Pronto is a Kickstarter project, which comes with the usual caveats: You’re backing an effort, not an actual device so consider wisely before funding it. But the idea of a fast-charging portable battery has already taken off because the project met its funding goal in only five hours. With 29 days to go, the Pronto project has raised $93,707, which nearly double its $50,000 goal.

So how does it work? The Pronto — available in two sizes and capacities — can handle a full 25 Watts while plugged in, so it charges very quickly. Both models can be fully recharged in one hour.