Today, BioLite launched a Kickstarter campaign for their latest product–the BaseLatern. With the trend of outdoor gear getting smaller, lighter and better-performing, BioLite took a hard look at the lantern and realized two key opportunities: they could shrink the form factor down without sacrificing light, and the lantern could multitask as a portable power solution to charge your other devices.
The smart lantern makes us of BioLite’s edge-lighting technology. Instead of using a big cavernous space to diffuse light, the company uses the same principles as fiber optics to create a flat panel that can wrap tightly around a big rechargeable battery and the high-efficiency LEDs. The result is a super compact shape that can slip easily into packs with no wasted space–the device measures 5.1”w x 5.0”h x 1.7”d and weighs 1.3 pounds.
The internal 7800 mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery can be used to for up to 50 hours of light on low, 6 hours on full 500-lumen high, or used to fully charge up to four smartphones.
As Biolite’s first-ever Bluetooth-enabled product, the BaseLantern comes with an app (available on both iOS and Android) chock full of features that transform the light into a smart lantern. You can remotely dim or turn on/off the lantern and get real-time feedback on battery life with advice on how you should calibrate your energy usage to sustain the length of your trip. Toggle through the full spectrum of available colors, including Red Night Vision and pulsing Party Mode.
For when you are stumbling back to camp late at night, you can set the BaseLatern to automatically turn on when your phone is in proximity. And the built in alarm ensures you and your buddies never miss that dawn patrol wake up call.
The coolest part? The BaseLantern is built on an open platform so that anyone can create their own apps to communicate with the device.
You can pre-order the BioLite BaseLatern for $99. The smart lantern is expected to ship this fall.