Why You Can Trust CNET Fund this: Frankencable 2-in-1 fits both Lightning and Micro-USB
What devil magic is this? The LMcable promises to be the one cable that rules them all.
Looks like a straight-up Lightning plug, but the LMcable works with Micro-USB ports, too.
It's a crazy mixed-up tech world. Apple's mobile devices rely on Lightning connectors, most other mobile devices rely on Micro-USB, and nary the twain shall meet. Right?
Wrong...maybe. Because if Kickstarter project LMcable becomes a reality, there might be just one cable to rule them all.
The LMcable has a standard USB plug at one end and 2-in-1 plug at the other. In case the name wasn't a dead giveaway, that 2-in-1 consists of Lightning and Micro-USB. Yep, it's a single connector that can pop right into either kind of port. Sorcery!
The developer's claim this is the first of its kind, and I've certainly never heard of anything like it. Or at least anything exactly like it; there are plenty of 2-in-1 cables (like this one), but they incorporate two different connectors.
Everything else about the cable suggests a premium product, including tin-plated copper wires wrapped in tangle-free leather and a small leather "buckle" for keeping the cable bundled when not in use.
The developers also made the connector housing as slim as possible to ensure it would work with most smartphone cases.
Early backers have already smashed past the LMcable's $3,550 funding goal, and in fact most of the less-expensive reward options are gone. As of this writing, you can pay about $15, £11, AU$21 for an LMcable, with delivery expected in April.
What do you think? Would you spend a little extra for the convenience of a single cable that can fit in just about any mobile device?
Update March 22, 2016: Early backers received word today that the LMcable campaign had been suspended and their pledges canceled. According to Kickstarter, "A review of the project uncovered evidence that it broke Kickstarter's rules." Although the notice didn't specify which rules, projects are suspended when they demonstrate one or more of the following: "Offering purchased items and claiming to have made them yourself; presenting someone else's work as your own; misrepresenting or failing to disclose relevant facts about the project or its creator."