I am on the go a lot — almost always without access to electricity. Whether I’m hunting or coaching, being a geek in the great outdoors can sometimes leave me with dead devices. The PowerBinder is a simple to use solar charging mobile power solution. I have the $199 PowerBinder in hand, so look for a full review soon! Check out the PowerBinder at the PowerStick website.
Yesterday we took a look at the Just Mobile Gum++ Backup Battery. It’s a great accessory but requires you to supply your own cable. Today we are taking a look at TYLT’s POWERPLANT Portable Back-Up Charger Lighting. The $89.99 battery is small, powerful and includes a built-in Lightning connector and a universal USB port. Plus, it looks great!
This is the time of year when we begin planning what will come with us to the Consumer Electronics Show. External batteries are always a key “bring-along” items, and this year is no exception. We’ve already gathered a few and, over the next days, we’ll look at each. First up is the stylish and powerful Gum++ battery from Just Mobile.
It seems like all the hotels I’ve stayed at in the past few months have only had one free electrical outlet near the bed. That would be fine if I didn’t have a phone, iPad, and sometimes a laptop that all needed to be charged from the same plug. The $24.99 Contort Power from Quirky might just be my solution.
Ever since I learned about the magic of wireless charging back when the Palm Pre and Touchstone charging device came out, I’ve wanted to try it out for myself. Although the inductive charging experience with the Duracell Powermat isn’t perfect, it’s a pleasure to use. The Duracell Powermat retails for $49.99 and the Powermat PowerSnap Kit retails for $99.99.
The problem with high-tech gadgets is their huge power needs. The best way to make sure you don’t run out of juice before the end of your day is to use an external battery. The Naztech mAh Power Case packs a ton of backup power into an easy-to-use case for $89.99.
Sometimes the small innovations make the most sense. They can also make you step back and think, “Now why didn’t I think of that?” The Ventev Powerdash r900 is a 2.1A in-car rapid charger for your smartphone or tablet that it is also a 900mAh external battery you can grab when you reach your destination. Brilliant!
Are you, like me, finding the gadgets in your house multiplying? Our home now has an iPad mini, iPhones, an iPod touch, an iPod nano, Kindles and assorted review samples. All need charging and Griffin’s PowerDock 5 promises to be the one-stop charging solution. For just under $100 you can charge 5 devices at once! How awesome is that?
Battery cases that protect and recharge iPhones are great during CES, but the bulk and extra weight aren’t always right for every day use. That’s where the TYLT ENERGI Power Case for the iPhone 5/5s can help. It gives you two snap on minimalist cases AND an extended slide on battery — just $99.99 for all three. TYLT describes this battery/case system in the following manner: The ENERGI Case with slide on battery is made for the real world. And with slim battery technology we only add 9mm to the thickness of the iPhone, you barely know you are carrying 9…
Every now and then a product comes along that screams out, “I deserve in a permanent place in your gear bag!” Scosche’s boltBOX is one of them. The small plastic box has a USB connector on one side, a Lightning connector on the other, and a 3′ cable that sits inside the box waiting to be needed. Get one.
News broke this week that a Tesla Model S caught fire after hitting a piece of debris on the highway. People buzzed about safety, and Elon Musk posted a letter explaining why the Model S is actually safer than most gas-powered vehicles. My reaction, however, wasn’t fear about Teslas – I was happy someone had a weirder “exploding car” story than me! Several years ago, I drove a 2000 Nissan Altima. It had been my grandmother’s, and since she barely drove it before I used it, it had the original battery. Fast forward several years and several thousand miles, and…
With the arrival of Elana’s iPhone 5C, our household is pretty much all-in with lightning connector-enabled devices. Thing is though, that all of our speakers and Bluetooth headsets use a microUSB for charging. That’s where the Innergie MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector comes in. It is two cables in one and costs under $30. . The Innergie MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector cable is a rather simple design, but it’s potentially quite useful to people like Elana and me. In its main configuration it’s a 2.6′ cable with a USB connector on one side and a Lightning connector on the…
Anyone who owns a smartphone and tablet knows that charging can become a juggling act between cables and plugs. Multiply those devices by a couple of owners, and suddenly a better storage and charging solution becomes a necessity; that’s where the Griffin PowerDock 5 Charging Station comes in. It efficiently stores, charges, and organizes up to five of different devices.
My phone has a Lightning Connector for charging. My headset uses a microUSB connection for charging. My desk looks like a snake pit of cables. That’s where the MagiCable Duo with Lightning Connector comes in. This $29.99 cable features a unique 2-in-1 design and works with both Apple Lightning and Micro USB tips. Check it out. You can file this one under “Solutions to First World Problems”
Not too long ago we were marveling about how the iPhone 5 only consumed ~$0.41 per year to charge, with the conclusion that “energy consumption of a modern smartphone is minuscule”. But phone charging is only part of the picture, and as we factor in the migration to wireless networks and cloud, that smartphone uses more energy than TWO refrigerators! The new report from IEEE Spectrum notes that all of the transitions occuring as we move from a world of desktops and landlines to a 3-screen world of laptop-tablet-smartphone require more energy. I have seen this information twisted in the…
My biggest problem with my mobile life is batteries. I seem to spend a large portion of my day figuring out ways to charge while on the go. My days have improved with the Odoyo Power + Shell EX For iPhone 5. At $99.99, the battery case promises to keep your phone charged all day long. The Power + Shell EX is a rechargeable battery case with kickstand for the iPhone 5. The 2200 mAh battery provides a full charge for the iPhone while the case provides protection. A kickstand is included tucked nicely away on the back of the…
External batteries are getting to be a necessity. If you want a great one, the RavPower and its 10,400 mAH capacity is one that you should look at. It’s only $34.99 on Amazon (with free Prime Shipping!). RAVPower was kind enough to send their latest RP-PB07 battery for review. Let’s take a look at it in terms of form and function. Form: This battery is simple in its design. It has a button on the front that allows you to check the current charge. On the back is the product label. The bottom of the battery has 2 USB ports…
If you own a mobile phone, then you inevitably have needed to charge it when away from your desk or car. USB ports seem to be everywhere anymore, but not everyone wants to carry a loose Lightning or MicroUSB cable with them; the ChargeCard fits in your wallet or makeup bag, and it makes carrying an extra charger easy to do. Just stick it in and forget about it … until you need it. Originally a Kickstarter project started in July 2012, the ChargeCard raised almost $162K after asking for $50K. Obviously there were plenty of people other than me who…
Wilson Electronics recently featured their electronic/technology products in a specially packaged “21st Century Survival Kit”. Gear Diary has tried Wilson Electronic products before, especially in emergency situations, and I recently tried out the six items in this well-chosen package – a great guide as you shape your own emergency tech kit. This 21st Century Survival Kit considers communication and sustenance ranging from minor snafus to major disasters to help yourself and others while communicating vital information to first responders. “We began thinking about what has changed in technology and society, and how that would affect what we would want to…
Carly was having huge battery issues with her iPhone 4S. It would run down in a matter of hours and, as a result, it was pretty much useless. That’s when she went out and picked up her Nokia Lumia 928. (Read her first impressions.) I asked Carly what she planned to do with the almost-non-functional iPhone now that she had a new super phone. That’s when it took up residence in my home. I put iOS 7.0 Beta on it, and while I have been rather impressed by the upcoming iOS update, I have found the same battery life issues…
Get an extra 120% battery with the mophie juice pack plus When the iPhone 5 arrived, it was a welcome change. After two years using the iPhone 4’s design, the iPhone 5 was both new and familiar at the same time. The new phone was thinner, longer and lighter. It also sported the new Lightning connector. Unfortunately, the new design meant that any accessories that were “form-fitting” and either wrapped around the phone or relied upon the now-obsolete 30-pin connector were of no use. Among the accessories that were now unusable were docks with a 30-pin connection (unless an adapter…