Power Gear | Gear Diary

Deals March 16, 2016

Deal: Anker Qi Charging Pad: $14.39 Shipped

Here’s a nice deal for anyone with a smartphone which supports wireless Qi charging. Amazon Deal Of The Day has this Anker Qi charging pad for $14.39 shipped. No cables or USB interface required. Input: 5V/2A; Output: 5V/1A. LED Indicator Lights: Red means it’s ready to charge, blue is charging, and both together let you know your device is fully charged. Blinking lights mean an unsupported device has been detected. You supply your own charging cable and Qi-compatible device (see below for list). Popular Smartphones that Support Qi Enabled Direct Charging Samsung Galaxy S6 / S6 Edge / Edge+…

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!, Travel March 7, 2016

How to Charge USB Devices with Your Dell Powered Off

When I purchased my Dell XPS 13 9350 a couple of months ago, I expected to be able to charge devices off the USB port while it was powered down. It’s a feature I’ve become accustomed to with Macs over the years, and I’ve been using it increasingly as I travel overseas where hotel rooms often lack power points in the right places.

Reviews March 7, 2016

MyCharge HubUltra 12,000mAh Portable Charger: The Best of Both Worlds

2016 is shaping up to be the year where I constantly go back and forth between iOS and Android. As much as I love my chargers with built-in Lightning cables, they get left at home more often than not because I’m carrying an Android device. It’s better to have options, and that’s where the myCharge HubUltra comes in.

Reviews February 27, 2016

RAVPower 20100mAh External Battery Review: Large and in Charge

I am a bit of a size snob when it comes to portable batteries; if there is an option to get it, I want the largest mAh available. Nothing gives me more comfort when I’ve got a 20-hour international journey than knowing I have enough battery power to keep all of my portable devices charged during the trip.

Crowdfunding February 25, 2016

Get Ready for Simpiz, the World’s Fastest Recharging Portable Battery

Today Simpiz has unveiled their battery, which they say is “the fastest recharging portable battery in the world.” This 9,000mAh power bank is supposed to recharge in 18 minutes “via a custom-designed DUBI 1.0 chip that allows four channels of electricity flow for unparalleled recharging speeds.”

Reviews February 5, 2016

APC Network Battery Backup + Mobile Power Pack Review: Keep Your Network Alive

Isn’t it aggravating when you’re working on something important, the power goes out, and you lose your laptop’s internet connectivity? Sure, you could use your mobile phone as a hotspot if you’ve got a tethering data plan, but if your modem and router were plugged into the APC Network Battery Backup + Mobile Power Pack, you wouldn’t have to.

News & Features January 16, 2016

The Knomo Dering Charging Power Purse Will Keep You Going

You know what it’s like to be out and about, looking at an ever sinking phone battery percentage. The Knomo Dering is a classic and fashionable wristlet with an integrated 3,000mAh battery; not only can you carry your essentials in its two main internal sections, your phone will sit inside a padded compartment safe from scratches while charging. The water and dirt resistant nylon and Saffiano leather trimmed Dering measures 8.5″ wide by 5″ tall by 0.75″ thick, but it has gusseted sides so that it can expand a bit to hold your necessities inside its grosgrain lined interior. Gold…

Reviews January 4, 2016

Lander Neve Lighting to USB Cable + Travel Case: Handy for More Than One Reason

If you got an iPhone or iPad over the holidays, you’ll soon need more than the original cable that came in your box. Why? Because those flimsy white cables are notorious for fraying and falling apart. When you’re ready to buy a more substantial cable, take a look at the new Lander Neve.

Reviews January 3, 2016

The Just Mobile AluPlug Is Fancier Than Most USB Wall Chargers

In the grand scheme of things, USB wall chargers probably don’t rate too highly on your list of “things that should be pretty”, but it’s nice when one comes along that not only looks good, it also does a fab job of quickly charging your USB powered gear; that’s the Just Mobile AluPlug.

Reviews December 26, 2015

The Nomad PowerPlant American Walnut 12,000mAh Battery Is a Natural Beauty

As long as manufacturers are making devices with batteries, we’ll need extended batteries; and as long as manufacturers are making extended battery packs, we’ll be covering them. It takes a little something extra to pique my interest in a battery anymore (yes, I’m slightly jaded), but the Nomad PowerPlant in American walnut 12,000mAh battery did just that.

Reviews December 1, 2015

Scosche goBAT 6000 and flatOUT LED Realtree Keep Outdoorsmen Charged Up

I spend a lot of time in the woods chasing white tail deer this time of year. My phone is an important tool while hunting. Be it entertainment, photos, video and hunting apps; it’s always in use. Scosche has released a Realtree collection perfect for my hunts. The goBAT 6000 ($69.99) and flatOUT LED ($19.99) iPhone cable keep me charged.

Reviews November 29, 2015

The PhoneSuit Journey 3,500mAh All-In-One Charger: The Most Complete Charging Solution Yet!

I’ve got a thing for slim batteries that have built-in cables, and while I generally prefer a battery with at least 5000mAh built-in, the PhoneSuit Journey 3500mAh All-in-One Charger has something going for it that none of the others I’ve tried do: Not only does it have built-in Lightning and microUSB charging cables, it also has a built-in AC plug!

Reviews November 18, 2015

Put Your Device’s Cable on a Keyring with the inCharge

InCharge is a successfully funded IndieGoGo project that solves a lot of first-world problems us gadgets users have: Not having a cable to charge our devices at all times.

News & Features, Reviews November 6, 2015

These Ultra-Slim External Battery Packs by Mogix Will Charge Your Smartphone up to Six Times

One thing that I’ve always hated when it comes to external battery packs is their bulky size when it comes to actually putting it in my pocket when on the go. Luckily when Mogix sent over two of their slim external battery chargers, I found my new favorite way to keep my phones charged up. Mogix Accessories sent over two models of their battery pack, the 5000mAh, and the Slim fit 10,400mAh units. Now first off, can I just say, carrying around an iPhone 6 Plus, anything less than 3500mAh I won’t even bother to use as a battery pack,…

Reviews November 5, 2015

The Techlink Recharge 5000 UltraThin+ Is the Thinnest Battery Pack Yet!

It seems like there’s a new battery pack released every week, and as a reviewer it is easy for me to become jaded — thinking I’ve seen it all. You really need to bring something special to the table if you want to wow me, and that’s exactly what the Techlink Recharge 5000 has done.

Reviews October 23, 2015

Incipio OffGRID Battery Case Doubles the Power – but Still Plugs In

Every once in awhile I find myself in a dilemma when reviewing product. Take the new offGRID battery case from Incipio, for example. We recently received a unit for review for the Samsung Galaxy S6 device. I have no problem with the product whatsoever and found it to work just fine – my issue is with the product name.

Reviews October 2, 2015

TYLT ENERGI 5K+ Battery: The Solution to Your Multi-Platform Device Charging Needs

This is going to sound like a total #firstworldproblem (because it is), but one of the issues I run into when I switch between my iPhone 6+ and Huawei Mate S is that without bringing along a spare microUSB cable, many of the smaller battery packs that I own won’t work.

News & Features September 26, 2015

Bluelounge Aaden Charges Rechargables on the Go

BlueLounge has done it again with the Aaden USB powered charger for charging rechargeable batteries from your laptop or other USB power source. It’s one of those simple accessories you don’t need but, once you have it, you’ll be happy you do. In other words, it’s typical Bluelounge. 🙂 And at just $19.95 it will make a great stocking stuffer.

Reviews September 24, 2015

PhoneSuit Elite 6 Pro Battery Case for the iPhone 6 Plus: Bright and Loaded

I like the freedom a battery case can provide–no need to carry a separate power pack, and no need for connecting cables–but using one does add some extra weight and bulk to the already large-ish iPhone 6 Plus. Can 4300mAh and a lovely metallic blue cover make up for it? The PhoneSuit Elite Pro sure tries!

Reviews September 22, 2015

Never Run Out Of Outlets with Satechi’s Aluminum Power Strip

As you already know, I really enjoy Satechi’s products. They all are very well made, and there is nothing different when it comes to their Aluminum Power Strip.

News & Features September 22, 2015

Now You Can Have Wireless Charging on Your iPhone Thanks to PowerGo-Go

Do you have the ever constant issue of your battery draining on your iPhone? Do you wish there was a better solution than always carrying around that Lightning cable everywhere you go? You might be in luck.