Power Gear

Battizer Review: Charges your Batteries and Helps Save the Planet

Reviews June 2, 2010

Battizer Review: Charges your Batteries and Helps Save the Planet

If you’re like me and never replace your batteries until it’s too late, then this product might be for you. If you have kids, lots of remotes, RC cars or anything that takes AAA and AA batteries, then the Battizer could prove to be a great investment. My home theater remotes, thermostat batteries, and Wii controllers are the items which to die at the most inconvenient times., so instead of saving money by going to the Costco, Sam’s Club or BJ’s and buying a bulk pack of AAs, I usually run to the convenience store and spend $6 on a…

Uniden Wireless Power Charging System Review

Reviews April 30, 2010

Uniden Wireless Power Charging System Review

Though I’ve never had the opportunity to use a Palm Pre, one thing I know I would like from it is the optional Touchstone charger. The ability to just put down the phone and have it start charging, then pick it up when a you want to use it without having to disconnect cables is a great idea. When I was offered to try Uniden’s new wireless charging system I was looking forward to seeing how handy it really is. The Uniden Wireless Power kit consists of two components: the wireless base, and the adaptors that link the base to…

Good-bye Case-Mate Hug Wireless Charging System for the iPhone; We Hardly Knew You!

News & Features March 26, 2010

Good-bye Case-Mate Hug Wireless Charging System for the iPhone; We Hardly Knew You!

I had to check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st when Dan forwarded a message from Case-Mate’s PR to me… Happy Friday! I know that you covered the case-mate Hug for the iPhone so I wanted to give you some news on its availability to consumers. Case-mate is proud to deliver innovative, self-expressive products to the marketplace every day. We strive to make each and every product fit into our overall strategy and vision. The case-mate Hug for the Apple iPhone 3G and Apple iPhone 3GS is a product we launched with success – sales and product…

The Case-Mate Hug Wireless Charging System Review

Reviews March 5, 2010

The Case-Mate Hug Wireless Charging System Review

While at CES 2010 one of the products which excited me most was the wireless charging system Case-Mate unveiled for the iPhone 3G/3Gs called The “Hug.”  We at Gear Diary are huge fans of everything Case-Mate does both from their products to their customer service.  They are one of the companies that simply get it. While there are a few companies making wireless charging systems for the iPhone the ones I’ve seen are flat out unattractive.  What impressed both Dan and me about the Hug was the fact that it not only charged the iPhone wireless but it looked super…

The TruePower iV Pro 3100mAh Extended Battery for iPod touch and iPhone Review

Reviews February 25, 2010

The TruePower iV Pro 3100mAh Extended Battery for iPod touch and iPhone Review

Reading, surfing, watching movies, listening to music — these are all activities that I enjoy doing on my iPhone; when I do them I usually have a rough idea of what type of battery life I should be able to expect, and it helps that I can watch the battery icon. However, I’ve recently discovered a game that has singlehandedly wiped out my iPhone’s battery more quickly than anything I have ever seen: Plants vs. Zombies (reviewed by Michael here). You can’t watch the clock or the battery icon when playing PvZ, which usually means that you’ll play much longer…

iGo Review: Stop Vampire Power from Sucking

Reviews February 5, 2010

iGo Review: Stop Vampire Power from Sucking

Vampire power is the power your electronic devices use when they’re turned off.  Example:  You plug your digital camera into an electrical outlet to re-charge its battery.  Once the battery is fully charged the camera keeps taking power from the wall and attempts to give it to the camera’s battery even though it doesn’t need it. iGo‘s new line of green power accessories seek to stop this wasted use of electricity.  This is turn should save you money in the form of less power used and a smaller electric bill as a result. While at CES 2010 I met with…

The Callpod Chargepod 6-way Charging Device Review

Reviews January 28, 2010

The Callpod Chargepod 6-way Charging Device Review

It seems to be a never-ending issue for me, having more devices that need charging than I have outlets available. The Callpod Chargepod touts itself as a “charging device that allows you to charge multiple cell phones, PDAs, headsets, and most other mobile electronics with a single power cord.” Without tripping a breaker or messing something up? This I’ve got to see …

DuaLink from CableJive Review

Reviews January 25, 2010

DuaLink from CableJive Review

If you’re anything like me, chances are you juggle a few Apple devices around.  Personally I use an iPhone, iPod Touch and an iPod Classic.  Each device uses Apple’s dock connector on the bottom, to which I insert a charge/sync cable when it comes time to either hook the device to iTunes or add some additional power to the battery. I’ve got one Apple charge and sync cable hooked up to my iMac which means I can charge or sync one of my three devices at any one time. At least that used to be the case……. Thanks to the…

Contour reCharge Universal Review

Reviews December 31, 2009

Contour reCharge Universal Review

With all the restrictions on what you can and can not carry on airplane flying around, there’s one thing that seems certain.  The less you pack the better of you’ll be.  As I get my gear bag ready for CES 2010 I’m faced with a mountain of charging cables that I’ll need to stuff into my bag. One thing that will help is the Contour reCharge Universal.  The reCharge Universal is a home charger and car charger in one which allows you to simultaneously charge two devices via a USB  cable.  The reCharge comes with an iPhone/iPod cable, but it…

Richard Solo rs1800 for iPhone Review

Reviews December 14, 2009

Richard Solo rs1800 for iPhone Review

There’s no hiding Gear Diary’s love of the Mophie Juice Pack Air.  All the editors own one for their iPhones, and we just gave one away to a lucky Facebook friend. There’s also no hiding the lackluster performance of the iPhone’s battery.  For power users, like us, it’s often times impossible to get through a single day without having to “plug-in” at least once. Anyone who knows me knows I have a love of cases for the iPhone.  If there’s one single thing that bothers me about the Mophie Juice Pack air it’s the fact that it’s a case.  Yeah,…

PowerPak Wall Charger and Battery Combo - Review

Reviews November 29, 2009

PowerPak Wall Charger and Battery Combo – Review

Larry talks a lot about the importance of device convergence. As we are packing for vacation, I am overwhelmed by the number of different chargers and cords I need to bring with me; he is more correct than I realized. In order to have the music and reading material I want during my five days in the sun. For example – to make sure my iPhone is fully usable, I’ll need the charge/sync cord, the wall adapter and my Mophie Juice Pack Air. Add to that the accessories I’ll need for my Kindle, my camera and my Bluetooth headphones, and suddenly…

The Callpod Fueltank DUO Rechargeable Dual Device Power Review

Reviews November 16, 2009

The Callpod Fueltank DUO Rechargeable Dual Device Power Review

photos by Kevin It never fails – no matter what precautions I take, I still need more juice for my various gadgets. Whether it’s my iPhone showing the red battery meter of doom, or a “battery is low” ping on my Bluetooth Headset, there is nothing more aggravating that realizing that I’ll need to make a charging pitstop soon; being able to quickly recharge on the go is much more preferable. When I was on my recent trip to New York, I found that even the Mophie Air wasn’t enough to keep my iPhone going on the day we traveled…

Dexim P-Flip for iPhone & iPod Touch Review

Reviews November 10, 2009

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

News & Features October 12, 2009

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

Reviews October 6, 2009

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)

Reviews June 11, 2009

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

Reviews May 11, 2009

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

Reviews April 13, 2009

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

Reviews April 12, 2009

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

Reviews January 28, 2009

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-