Power Gear

Dexim P-Flip for iPhone & iPod Touch Review

Reviews

Dexim P-Flip for iPhone & iPod Touch Review

If you follow me here on Gear Diary you probably know I’m quite fond of convergence devices.  I really like when manufacturers release new, innovative products that complete more than one task.  Maybe it’s the fact that these devices lighten the load in my gear bag, maybe it’s the fact that as I get older I prefer to have to remember to pack less things.  Either way I appreciate these multi-function gadgets. Dexim has a variety of convergence devices for the iPhone & iPod Touch and they were kind enough to give my one of their newest to review. The…

Cordless Charging with the Powermat Wireless Charging System

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Cordless Charging with the Powermat Wireless Charging System

We’ve mentioned WildCharge – the company that allows you to use inductive charging with nearly any mobile phone or other power hungry gadget – before on Gear Diary, but tonight I realized we hadn’t given any coverage to Powermat, another company with a similar premise (but a better looking design). What premise would that be? Why the one that says plugging your devices in to charge them is so passé; the idea that all you should have to do is lay your gadget on a mat to charge it, even if the trade-off is having to keep your phone in…

ION Power Pack Review

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ION Power Pack Review

I’ve tried a few external batteries for my iPhone 3Gs, but none of them have stuck.  The cases type (Mophie Jucie Pack Air, Incase Power Slider) are nice but I prefer to use a regular case most of the time and the case batteries result in a much larger phone profile.  The other choice, external batteries which plug into the bottom of the phone, are usually bulky or have an awkward connector. The iON Power Pack from FSP Direct solves many of my external battery pet peeves.  It features a 1500 mAh battery in a super slim credit card sized…

Case-Mate Fuel Battery For iPhone 3G (And Now iPhone 3G S)

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Case-Mate Fuel Battery For iPhone 3G (And Now iPhone 3G S)

Among the good news with the upcoming iPhone 3GS is the additional battery life of anywhere between 10 and 20%. That will be a welcome addition as the iPhone 3G was, at best, problematic with regard to battery life.  At the same time, however, even with 10 to 20% of additional run-time there is no question I’ll be burning through my iPhone’s battery long before the day is through. (Yes, I use it that much.) Thankfully, there are a host of extra battery options available and every one, while designed for the iPhone 3G, will continue to work with the…

Mophie Juice Pack Air Review

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Mophie Juice Pack Air Review

If you’re a hardcore iPhone user chances are you struggle with battery life sometime during your daily life.  You get too involved with a game, see an extraordinary amount of e-mails, do some serious web surfing and before you know it your battery level has dropped to dangerously low levels before dinner time. There are several external battery choices in the iPhone accessory market.  Some clip to the bottom and just charge the phone, others are more like cases, some even have lights and lasers.  Out of all of them the Mophie Juice Pack Air is arguably the most functional…

Lifetrons Multi-Functional Charger Review

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Lifetrons Multi-Functional Charger Review

It’s hard to travel light when you’re a gadget lover. You can’t bear to leave your toys behind, so you bring ’em all… Or at least I do. And then there’re the required accessories – sync cables, spare batteries, chargers, and international plug adaptors. Add everything up, and you end up with… A lot of luggage. The Lifetrons Multi-Functional Charger is powered by AC, USB, car cigarette lighter, or a 9V battery, and charges any mobile device for which an appropriate tip is available. Can it replace the 42 different chargers currently cluttering up your gadget bag?

External iPhone Batteries: Tekkeon myPower for iPhone and Konnet PowerKZ

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External iPhone Batteries: Tekkeon myPower for iPhone and Konnet PowerKZ

As much as I love my iPhone 3G I am the first to point out that it has some serious short-comings. The biggest for me, by far is battery-life. I use my iPhone a lot. I do use my Touch whenever possible so as to save the iPhone’s battery but even with that I never make it through the day without having to charge the 3G at least once. That makes having an external battery a neccessity. Quite frankly, I don’t leave home without one of my external batteries charged and waiting. Fortunately there are a growing number of battery…

Mili Power Pack Review

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Mili Power Pack Review

My biggest complaint about the iPhone 3G is its battery life. Sure, the lack of being able to run 3rd part apps in the background stinks and the crippled Bluetooth unnecessarily limits the device, but the battery life is a CONSTANT struggle since I use my iPhone so much during the day. Thankfully there are a host of options available for juicing up the device on the go. This week I’ve been using one of the newest- the Mili Power Pack from PhoneSuit – and I’m more than a bit impressed. Let’s take a look-

Tekkeon myPower ALL MP3700 Battery Review

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Tekkeon myPower ALL MP3700 Battery Review

Looking for a way to extend the run time on that Eee PC or Acer Aspire One that you got for Christmas?  If so, then the Tekkeon MP3700 may be just the ticket for your power hungry ultra mobile device. Weighing in at 15.4 oz, the Tekkeon MP3700 is light enough that it won’t weigh you and your netbook down too much; the combination weighs less than the Lenovo T60 I use.

Mophie Juice Pack Review: Keeps You Connected All Day

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Mophie Juice Pack Review: Keeps You Connected All Day

So here I am on vacation in Aruba. The sun is warm, the waves are a bit rough and the WiFi is horrid. Seriously, the WiFi here brings me back to the good old days of dial-up, and they weren’t such good old days. As a result of the anemic WiFi I have found myself using my iPod touch far more than the HP MiniNote 1000 I picked up prior to my trip. (it is, by the way, an awesome netbook!) The touch seems to work far better for me when checking email, keeping up with my RSS feeds, and…

Tributaries PWRS-T8/T1 Power Strip Review

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Tributaries PWRS-T8/T1 Power Strip Review

For the second time in 10 years our cabin in the Pennsylvania mountains was struck by lightning. And for the second time in 10 years walls had to be opened and the house rewired before it could be usable once again.  Not fun at all. (And that is WITH a lightning box installed!) This time, unfortunately, it wasn’t just the wiring that suffered. The casualties were numerous. The stove has cooked its last omelet.  The dishwasher has seen its last dirty dish.The washer and dryer have seen their last load of laundry.  In all, the damage was both extensive and…

Devotec Solar Charger Review

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Devotec Solar Charger Review

If there’s one thing that I know about all of the mobile electronics I’ve got, its that power is a problem. I’ve got more device holders and power cords in my car than I know what to do with, AND I have so many that I had to get a goo-jam that increased the number of power sockets in my car from 1 to 3.  Yeah…I’ve got gadgets.  Now about powering them…yeah, that’s a problem too. Over the past year or so, I’ve bumped into problems where I’ve run out of power at the most inconvenient times and places.  So…

Brunton Solaris 26 Foldable Solar Array and Solo Portable Power Pack Review: Al Gore Will Love You for This One

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Brunton Solaris 26 Foldable Solar Array and Solo Portable Power Pack Review: Al Gore Will Love You for This One

With all the news lately about the price of oil, and our oil addiction, it is nice to be able to do a review that not only involves a very cool piece of technology, but is also environmentally conscious.  I actually got the idea for a review like this one a few months back when I was having trouble with my laptop battery.  Wouldn’t it be great, I thought, if I could just slap a solar cell on my laptop and continually charge my battery with the power of the sun.  Of course, it was not that easy, but the…

Review: Ted Baker Charging Kit from Proporta

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Review: Ted Baker Charging Kit from Proporta

I actually received Proporta’s Ted Baker Charging Kit by mistake when asking Proporta for the Gadget Bag.  I offered to review it for them, and they accepted! 😀  So, what makes this charging kit special?  Let’s take a look. According to Wikipedia, Ted Baker is a clothing store in the UK; they are known for applying twists to their products.  I have never been to the UK, but on the Ted Baker website I learned that they are a designer clothing company, and the wikipedia entry reveals that they have been coming to this side of the pond as well. …

The Proporta Laptop Battery Review

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The Proporta Laptop Battery Review

One of most laptop’s main limitations is their battery life, which can usually only be relied upon for a few hours. This hindrance is never more evident that when traveling, because finding a place to recharge in airports and train stations can be a major challenge. On January 1, 2008, carrying extended batteries will become a little bit trickier when traveling by plane, but it can still be done as long as the extra battery is packed in your carry-on luggage (versus in your checked luggage) and it is under a certain size. Copied verbatim from the US Government’s Safe…

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The BatteryGeek 130Wh External Battery Pack Review

I have had my MacBook Pro for about 6 months now, and for the most part I have been very happy with it. The one issue that has been with it from the beginning is battery life. While it may be quite a powerful laptop, the 2.5hrs battery life (I have seen less more than once) is just plain slack. Due to the design of the MBP an extended battery isn’t really practical either as it would be a rather awkward hump in the middle of the laptop. There is a solution however. It might not be the most elegant…

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Reviews

The Belkin TunePower for Zune Review

So far I have been averaging about 11 hours of battery life from my Zune; and while that’s decent, it doesn’t inspire confidence for those long stretches of time when tunes are desired but there is no ready power source available. Well, Belkin has a solution, and it’s called TunePower. According to Belkin, “TunePower keeps the music playing even when your Zune player?s internal battery is drained. It offers a great solution for long flights, train rides, hikes–any time you want to extend your music and video playtime. A foldout kickstand positions the Zune at the perfect viewing angle, and…

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Reviews

The Belkin Clamp-On Surge Protector Review

As you are a reader of Gear Diary, it’s pretty likely that your house is something like mine–an impossible flood of electronic gizmos, gadgets, and geegaws, both portable, and not, but all requiring a simply astonishing amount of plug-in space for wall current.? Around our stereo area it can get bad, sure; the receiver, TV, VCR, DVD, TiVo box, satellite box, etc; you need some hefty power strippage to deal with it. But for me where it gets really bad is my desk.? I work from home, so in addition to all the “usual” computer equipment that I have maintain…

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Reviews

The Datexx ULTRABattery Rechargeable USB Power Bank Review

It never fails – I’ll either get caught on a flight with no power outlet under my seat, or I’ll be stuck somewhere with no power outlet and a device with a dwindling battery. Because of this I am always on the lookout for products that will help manage or extend my battery life, which is why I was interested in reviewing the Datexx ULTRABattery Rechargeable USB Power Bank. Measuring 3.9″ tall x 2.4″ wide x 0.8″ thick and weighing 5.7 ounces, the ULTRABattery is housed in a pearly white plastic casing which feels quite solid in hand and does…