Batteries and Chargers

Protect Dad from the Cordpocalypse for Father’s Day and save!

recoil automatic winder

This Father’s Day, you could give your Dad (or yourself) the gift of an organized gear bag and desk with the Recoil Automatic Cord Winders.  Simply fold a cable in half and place the loop over the Recoil’s hook, tug the cable, and the Recoil automatically winds the cable into a neat little package.  The […]

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The 2014 Jeep Cherokee and Toyota Prius will offer in-vehicle Qi wireless charging

qi jeep

If you’ve been keeping up with my recent gadget diary posts, you’ll know that I’ve been interested in wirelessly charging my Samsung Galaxy S3. After a couple different cradles and a custom ROM, I’m happily charging without wires using the Qi wireless charging standard. That’s why my interest was piqued when I heard the news that

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Read and write flashdrive for your iPad and other iOS devices

read write flash drive ios devices

Apple’s Camera Connection Kit will let you transfer photos to your iPad, but it doesn’t allow you to copy files off the iPad.  It handles several image and video file formats, but nothing else.  With The Only Read and Write iPad Flash Drive from Hammacher Schlemmer, you can, as you might guess, both read and

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Etón BoostSolar now available

eton boostsolar

The BoostSolar splash-proof solar-powered backup battery pack from Etón provides power to hand-held devices with its interchangeable, rechargeable lithium battery (5000 mAh). The BoostSolar features an LED battery charge indicator, rugged rubberized and IPX-4-rated splash-proof exterior in addition to fastener holes and straps to hook to a backpack for portability. This solar charger can be fully

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Powerstick+ USB Drive/Power Charger review

Powerstick 01

Since many of us carry around mobile devices such as smartphones, iPhones, handheld games, digital cameras, MP3 player, and the like, having emergency backup power is almost a necessity when it comes to preventing your device  from shutting down when a power outlet is out of reach. Powerstick+ from Ecosol is a portable charger that can keep

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mophie juice pack now available for the HTC One

mophie juice pack htc one

mophie‘s new juice pack for the HTC One has a 2500mAh rechargeable battery that can double your battery life.  The case measures 2.88″ X 6.06″ X 0.67″ and adds 5.05 ounces to the weight of your phone.  You’ll be able to use the backup battery to recharge your phone with the flip of a switch on

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Charge two devices at once with the sCharger-12 solar charger

sCharger 12

The sCharger-12 USB Solar Charger from SunTactics isn’t like most solar chargers on the market.  It uses “mono-crystalline solar cells, the most efficient solar cell technology of the 21st century” instead of the plastic panels and weak solar cells used in other chargers.  It doesn’t charge up a battery, because those will quickly die after

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Charge your devices without an outlet with a Folding USB Solar Cell

browndog solarcell 1

I love to be away from the world at times. Whether I am at the beach, up in the mountains, or just hanging outside, I always have my phone with me. The thought of being ‘green’ and being able to keep my devices charged when I am out on the go made me take interest

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Julie’s Gadget Diary – 2nd look at Qi wireless charging

nokia dt910 2

A few weeks ago I published a gadget diary post sharing my experiences with trying to get Qi wireless charging working with my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3. Long story short, I ordered a wireless charging patch (receiver) and a Nokia DT-900 Wireless Charging pad and it didn’t work. One of our frequent readers (Haesslich) left

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Just Mobile Gum Max Duo review

The Just Mobile Gum Duo has two USB ports - one 1 Amp and one 2.4 Amps.

A new entrant into the crowded field of portable power supplies has recently arrived from a trusted mobile vendor – Just Mobile.  It sports some unique features without missing any of the standard items. The Gum Max Duo (GMD) is Just Mobile’s  top-of-the-line USB charger, and it packs quite a wallop: 11.2 Amp/hours of power! Let’s

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USB Utility Charge Tool – A pocket gadget charging multi-tool

usb utilitycharger

The USB Utility Charge Tool looks like multi-tool or pocket knife, but it’s really a multi-bladed charging tool. There are several “blades” that you can use to charge your gadgets, including a 30 pin connector for the iPhone or iPod, a micro USB and a mini USB connector. There’s also a USB adapter to connect

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This gives “crank telephones” a whole new meaning…

crankerator

Did you ever see one of those old, wall-mounted telephones that you had to crank to get the operator’s attention in old movies?  Well, the Crankerator isn’t like that.  This accessory from Photojojo is a backup battery with an emergency power source.  It works with smart phones, cameras, and tablets, and a fully charged Crankerator

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iDuo2Go Charge and Sync Cable for iPad, iPhone, and iPad with USB 3.0 SD card reader review

iduo2go schettino review 04

The iDuo2Go Charge and Sync Cable for iPod, iPhone, and iPad with USB 3.0 SD Card Reader from Atech Flash Technology is a surprisingly useful if simple bit of mobile gear. It’s a USB 3.0 SD card reader, or an iPhone/iPad 30-pin sync/charge cable. Why bring two things on your next trip when one will

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Brando Power Jacket for Nokia Lumia 920 – 2200mAh review

powerjacket schettino review 12

The Power Jacket for Nokia Lumia 920 from Brando is an extended battery/case that can nearly double the battery life for the Lumia 920, if you’re willing to accept the trade-offs that come with it.  So what are the trade-offs?  Let’s look at them.

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Hack your nightstand into a Qi inductive wireless charging station

Remembering all the interest in Julie’s recent Gadget Diary about the Qi inductive wireless charger, I know some of you will be interested in reading an article I recently found on the Huffington Post site.  They have an article about modifying a nightstand to turn it into a Qi inductive wireless charging station.  Basically, a

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Do you know where your MagSafe converter is?

magsafe adapter keyring

They don’t do it especially frequently, but Apple does sometimes change the power or sync connectors on their computers and mobile devices.  You may find yourself the proud owner of a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 converter so that you can use your computer with some older Apple power adapters or the MagSafe power connector on

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Julie’s Gadget Diary – Qi inductive wireless charging, more trouble than it’s worth?

qi charging 6

My first experience with inductive charging was way back in 2004 when I reviewed one of Microsoft’s SPOT watches. The watches themselves were kind of clunky, but I thought it was so cool that they could be charged just by being placing on a cradle. The fact that no  cables had to be plugged directly into

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Keep your gadgets charged with NewTrent’s Travelpak and Travelpak Plus

newtrent travelpak charger

If you spend any time traveling, or even just have a long commute, you’ll at some point find yourself needing a power boost for one of your gadgets.  NewTrent has two backup battery packs in their line of mobile accessories that can keep you powered until you reach your destination.  The Travelpak (NT400C) has a

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Charge your devices faster with the ChargeDr

digital innovations chargedr

If you find that charging your USB-chargeable devices takes too long, you may be interested in the ChargeDr USB Charge Booster from Digital Innovations.  The ChargeDr uses an unspecified method of boosting the power from your computer’s USB port, so that a normal 5V, 0.5A-2.1A port always outputs 5V, up to 2.1A of power.  The ChargeDr is

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A-solar Xtorm Portable Power Bank 7300 review

ASolar Xtorm Power Bank 1

Most of us carry around a bunch of tech devices throughout the day, and pretty much all of them require batteries. And we all know that batteries usually don’t last all day long, especially those in power-hungry cell phones.  That’s where A-solar’s Xtorm Portable Power Bank 7300 comes in.  Can it keep us powered all day

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