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SnapPower: USB Charger Designed For Your Wall Outlet

By John Dodge

CHICAGO (CBS) -- There are two things around my house that disappear on an almost daily basis: reading glasses and USB chargers.

The Snap Charger won't solve the reading glasses problem, but it is a nifty idea to keep those power-hungry phones and tablets charged up.

The device is a standard electrical wall plate, with an integrated USB charging port at the bottom.

The biggest selling point: The installation requires no wiring. Simply snap the wall plate around the electrical housing and it provides power.

The project has proved to be hugely popular on the funding site Kickstarter, attracting almost 11,000 backers and raising nearly $500,000 in less than three days.

The project specs call for a 1 amp charger, which some backers say is not quite powerful enough to quickly charge their devices--especially tablets and newer generation phones.

The project's creator, Jeremy Smith, addressed those concerns: "The main thing that supporters have been asking about is whether we can change the charger to 2.1 amps.

"For this project, we are focused on providing a high quality USB charging product in a timely manner. As we prepared this initial product, the 1 amp charger was the right blend of function, form and speed to market.

"While we believe we will be able to offer a 2.1 amp version of the charger in the future, it will require more costly components and/or a possible larger cavity on the cover plate, as well as additional time to test new prototypes, line up manufacturing and get UL certification."

Despite that limitation, all of the early bird offers have been filled.

Pricing starts at $16 for one plate.

Delivery is scheduled for August, but, as is often the case with Kickstarter projects, that timeline could be delayed.

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