One of the biggest problems with our ever-growing love of smartphones … is that everything we do with them seems to consume more and more battery. As a result we are always struggling with the battery life of our smartphones. As a result we keep chargers in our offices, our cars, and so on. But what about when you are on the go and don’t have access to a wall plug – or are in an airport where everyone is huddled around the few remaining outlets? Belkin seeks to solve this with the Portable Power Pack 1000 – let’s see how it works!… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Things are winding down at CES 2012, which was nice for Francis and me, as we were able to walk around more freely due to less traffic and spend more quality time with some vendors. Luckily for us, we were able to stop by and visit our friends from myCharge and PowerBag. We have reviewed the PowerBag Messenger and PowerBag Backpack in the past, and Dan mentioned how useful a PowerBag can be. They also have a great brand called myCharge, which is a set of portable batteries for recharging mobile devices, including iOS and Android devices.

The team at myCharge was nice enough to provide… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

We’ve seen and reviewed a lot of different external backup batteries for mobile devices. Many of them will be coming to CES next month in the hopes that, for once, we won’t be scrambling to recharge our gear. One of the batteries that will be coming along is the Tekkeon TekCharge MP1580 but calling it an external battery is actually not quite accurate. No, the MP1580 can be thought of as a rechargeable battery charger that can double as an external battery. That means it serves a double function when you are on the go. Priced at under $25 it is a neat little product that can come in quite handy in a pinch. Let’s take a look.

Two recalls just crossed my inbox; these may be products that you all own, so please check:

The first item is the Mophie iPod Touch Rechargeable External Battery Case (shown above); it’s being recalled due to a burn hazard. If you have one of these, check to see if your serial number  has the first five alphanumeric characters of TR113 through TR120. Cases that fall in between those numbers are affected by the recall.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It

We recently looked at the Yoobao Power Bank battery. It’s a beast and has a huge capacity that can keep your device or devices going all day long. That Power Bank isn’t the only capacity that the company is offering, however. They also offered this smaller 4400 mA hour battery and, while it is smaller, it has the same great features. In fact, when the power in my home went out again the other day this battery stepped in and saved the day. Let’s take a look at it.… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Welcome to another edition of “What’s Coming to CES 2012″. In our last episodes we visited with two PowerBags (I’ll carry the messenger and Kevin will carry the backpack) and Mission Workshop Sanction waterproof rucksack that Francis will bring along for the ride. The PowerBags will give us a total of 12,000mAh of device-charging goodness. That’s good… but it is not good enough. Thankfully we’ll have a few additional external batteries with us. One example, we will bring along this 11,200 mAh battery from Yoobao. Despite its relatively small size and weight, it is a beast in the energy department. And the lovely white makes it perfect for Judie to take along.

Here’s a look…

From Yoobao:

Weighs at only 8.9oz, Yoobao Sunrise packs 11,200 mAh battery in a small package, enough to charge your iPad/tablet, iPhone, mobile phones and more. Perfect for everyday use, longer trips and emergency situations.

Features:

Highest quality Li-Pol battery with capacity of 11,200mAh (iPad 2 battery is rated as ~7,500mAh)

Dual USB outputs to charger 2 devices at the same time

Give your smartphone up to 90 hours of extra talk, internet, and video time, so you can truly enjoy what your phone can offer

2.1A output to charge your iPad or tablet efficiently

Compatible with iPad 1/2, iPhone 4/4S, 3Gs/3G, and iPod touch

Compatible with all cell phones with micro USB connection, such as Blackberry, HTC, Samsung, Motorola, LG, etc.

Compatible with e-readers, such as Kindle, Nook, etc.

Compatible with gaming devices, such as Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, etc.

I’ve been watching my copies of the TV show “Firefly” lately (and if you haven’t ever watched it, you should).  Why do I mention this?  Well, aside from the fact that I often write in a nearly stream-of-consciouness fashion and it’s been on whatever passes for my mind lately, when I surfed to the USBFever web site to look at this week’s offerings, one phrase that they use in “Firefly” just jumped into my mind when I saw the cases above:

“Shiny!”

In “Firefly,” it indicates general approval, like, “Cool”, or “Excellent!”, or what have you.  In this case, it was more a description of the actual appearance of the cases.  But still, don’t you… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

We brought word of Twelve South‘s new PlugBug Mac/iPad accessory the other day. Within seconds of learning about the new product Judie and I had both ordered one. It is a great traveling companion if you have a Mac and an iPad or iPhone, so it seemed like a no-brainer. It is!

Mine just came and, once again, I’m impressed with what Twelve South has done. Here’s a quick video look at the PlugBug.

You can order yours for here on the company site for $34.99… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Yesterday we reviewed the PowerBag Messenger, a messenger bag that carries a 6000mAh battery and has internal cabling that makes charging an iOS device, or one that has a mini or microUSB connection simple. Today I got home and shot a video of the backpack version of the PowerBag for the second part in the review. Little did I know how handy both bags would be just hours later.

You see, the October Surprise dumped a fair bit of snow on the ground today. That, combined with the fact that the trees still had leaves on them that caught more snow than usual, has resulted in downed… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Can you picture yourself out camping for a week? Your car is parked in a lot miles away, and you have been hiking for days. You’ve got everything you need in your backpack, and you’ve been eating those freeze-dried dinners that they sell at REI. Civilization is nowhere near, and you are looking forward to having a shower … in a few more days. You want to stay in touch with your family, but there are no chargers built into the side of the trees you’ve been passing, and your iPhone died yesterday. What do you do?

Okay, I am having trouble picturing myself in that situation, so let’s try a different scenario. =P

Let’s say that you… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

Imagine if you could charge your devices without having to add the to the world’s pollution. Now imagine if you could charge your devices without having to add the to the world’s pollution, AND you could encourage others to follow your lead? Think about the impact you could have by multiplying your green actions through influence? AND it gets better. Because you can do all this and get stuff in return, thanks to the new Changers Solar Charging System.

The Changers System is just being announced today, and it has the potential to take solar charging mainstream. The device is simple, easy to use and powerful., and it adds in… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...

It seems silly to refer to an external battery as “good-looking”, but mophie’s new juice pack power station is one good-looking battery. It is sleek, solid and feels great thanks to the combination of polished metal and soft touch material. And with a footprint that is a bit smaller than an iPhone, this 4000mAh battery is simple to carry around all the time.

From mophie:

juice pack powerstation: This powerful 4000mAh external battery can charge virtually any USB device in the world including the iPhone and iPad. With completely reengineered battery and electronics, the powerstation can charge your device

The name is a mouthful, unless you shorten it to Mobius, but the idea is simple: place a solar panel on the back of an iPhone 4, and you won’t ever need to worry about not being able to charge — assuming natural light is plentiful, of course.

Differentiating itself from solar-charging solutions on the market today, Mobius features a quick charge time and the ability to store charge until you need it. The high-efficiency monocrystal solar panel re-charges the 1800 mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery pack on the back of the case. Only one hour of solar charging provides an additional 25 minutes of talk time.

Mobius can also be

I’m a big fan of iPhone battery cases that combine protection and extra battery life into a single package. Since the release of the original iPhone, we have looked at a number of these hybrid case-batteries, and today we’ll take a look at PhoneSuit’s latest offering: the PhoneSuit Elite iPhone Case. The company is not stranger to this kind of battery case, and their experience shows in both the Elite’s design and its functionality.

From PhoneSuit:

The PhoneSuit Elite iPhone Case extends the battery life of the iPhone by more than doubling its power capacity. Users can now experience up to

Charging cables and cords… they’re everywhere. Literally everywhere. Have an iPhone? You need a 5W wall adapter and a USB cable. An iPad? You need a 10W wall adapter and a USB cable. Using a Samsung Galaxy Tab? You’ll need one of their proprietary chargers. Have a Blackberry or Android phone? Most likely you need a microUSB adapter connected to a wall charger. And the list goes on and on.

I hate the mess of cords. That’s why I’ve been so interested in the various conductive charging systems that have been coming to market for the past few years. The issue there? Most of the time they still require a special case to… Continue reading on Gear Diary ...