May the Phorce Be With You
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Phorce, a company based in the Netherlands and the creator of the world’s first interactive smart bag, has followed up its original offering with its second generation product. This is the Phorce Freedom, a bag designed for everyday use with the capability to power various devices when on the move.
Like the Transformers, stars of the silvery screen and toy resellers’ shelves, the Phorce Freedom has shape-shifting capabilities. The bag can quickly switch between being used in briefcase, messenger or back pack mode as the situation arises. Basic instructions dealing with the changes between the different modes are printed on a folded piece of card. These illustrated instructions show the unit’s magnetic handles and how to attach the supplied strap in one or two ways depending upon how you intent to use the bag.
The Phorce Freedom bag is constructed of durable, water-resistant, high-performance black fabric. Granting access to the bag’s main content and its microfiber lined compartments and pockets are various waterproof zips with burnished metallic tags. In total there are three external zips and a further six internal zips. There is also an assortment of burnished metallic clips and quick-release clip-on hooks for attaching the strap which is capable of acting for a shoulder or back pack use.
The Phorce Freedom bag features a range of storage compartments that are accessible externally and internally. In the case of the former, a Velcro-secured compartment can be used for small items as well as housing one half of the hand grip component. The other half of this hand grip, stored in a pass-through panel, will link magnetically to its partner for easy one-hand holding. Sitting alongside the Velcro compartment is a zipped concealed area with three pockets for slotting in small devices.
The bags’ padded interior, initially holding the shoulder / back pack strap, has three large pockets. Each of these pockets, split two to one side and one on the other, have both vertical and horizontal zips. This arrangement does allow for easy access from either direction when needing to insert or remove content such as documents, mobile devices and even a laptop of up to 13 inches.
As mentioned earlier, the Phorce Freedom has the capability to power various devices on-the-go. Unlike a case of a few years back that provided a direct link to an appropriate power source for charging the laptop without needing to remove it from the case, the Phorce Freedom takes a different approach. Dig a little deeper into the insides of the Phorce Freedom and you will come across a battery charger that is held secure in its own pocket with a restraining strap.
With dimensions of 135 x 73 x 18mm and weighing 327g, this battery charger has a capacity of 15000 mAh. A micro-to-standard USB lead, measuring 192cm, is supplied for linking to a charging device or when replenishing the battery charger’s power.
Like the bag, this battery charger is decked out in black. Along with the Phorce Freedom logo, the front of the charger features four LED lights providing feedback as to the current battery level. Running across the top of the unit are a pair of standard USB ports for delivering power to connected devices, a single micro USB port when powering up the charger and an on/off button. With the clearly labelled standard USB ports, you can charge two devices simultaneously. Port 1 has a maximum charging speed of 1A and Port 2 is rated at 2A.
It is suggested that when charging a laptop, this operation is carried out from outside the bag to prevent the possibility of overheating. This recommendation is one of 17 items in a Safety & Disclaimers’ list on the Phorce Freedom instruction card. While several of the items are basically common sense, there is a couple that refer to Dutch law, the Vienna Convention and the competent court in the district of Overijsset which might be worrying to some users.
The combination of adaptability and functionality does come at a price. Available for ordering from www.phorce.com, the Phorce Freedom bag is priced at £179.00 which could well put off some possible purchasers.
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