The dogs that rode in motorcycle sidecars to charge phones won SXSW

AUSTIN, Texas — Virtual reality activations by major brands like Samsung and McDonalds were the biggest trend of 2016 South by Southwest Interactive, but perhaps one of the most-discussed — and cuddliest — demonstrations to hit the Austin streets was a pack of St. Bernards in motorcycle sidecars on a quest to save dying smartphone batteries.

Phone battery case company Mophie created a spectacle at SXSW this week as attendees running low on battery power were encouraged to tweet at the brand for help. By sending a screenshot of a smartphone's low battery percentage and using the hashtag #mophieRescue, the company sent a fleet of dogs to hundreds of people across the downtown area and gave out Mophie battery packs to charge up devices. Read more...