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 […]
Charge two devices at once with the sCharger-12 solar charger Read More
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
Charge your devices without an outlet with a Folding USB Solar Cell Read More
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
Julie’s Gadget Diary – 2nd look at Qi wireless charging Read More
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
Just Mobile Gum Max Duo review Read More
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
USB Utility Charge Tool – A pocket gadget charging multi-tool Read More
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
This gives “crank telephones” a whole new meaning… Read More
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
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.
Brando Power Jacket for Nokia Lumia 920 – 2200mAh review Read More
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
Hack your nightstand into a Qi inductive wireless charging station Read More
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
Do you know where your MagSafe converter is? Read More
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
Julie’s Gadget Diary – Qi inductive wireless charging, more trouble than it’s worth? Read More
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
Keep your gadgets charged with NewTrent’s Travelpak and Travelpak Plus Read More
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
Charge your devices faster with the ChargeDr Read More
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
A-solar Xtorm Portable Power Bank 7300 review Read More
Just as the title says, the PowerSkin for BlackBerry Z10 is available now from PowerSkin. The one-piece shockproof, anti-dust silicone skin protects your Z10, and it contains a 1500mAh rechargeable battery that gives your smart phone up to 60% more talk or standby time. It weighs only 3 ounces and measures 5.39″ X 2.89″ X 0.79″.
PowerSkin announces battery case for the BlackBerry Z10 Read More
The Fuel backup power source is a Kickstarter project from Devotec Industries, a maker of backup batteries and Bluetooth speakers. (Is it just me, or does it seem like a lot of companies are looking to expand their product lines through crowd-funding projects lately?) The Fuel is a 220mAh emergency power source for any phone that
Fuel may be the world’s tiniest phone backup battery Read More
I’ve always wanted a small docking station either for my iPhone or Nexus 7/Kindle Touch tablet. I then got my hands on the i18-USB PowerStation from i18 Technology. The USB PowerStation is a microUSB smartphone and tablet wall charger and dock. It’s made of plastic (color choices are in white, black, or pink) and has a small green
i18-USB iPowerStation Smartphone/Tablet Charger review Read More
If you like the contrast of the sleek iPhone against rustic accessories, you’ll like the Driftwood iPhone Charging Dock from UncommonGoods. Each piece is made from actual driftwood collected in Maine, so no two docks will be the same. Woods used in these docks include pine, oak, ash, maple, or cedar. They are hand-crafted to
Why don’t we drift away… Read More
Last July, Julie told us about a crowd-funding project for a charging cable that could be carried in a credit-card slot in your wallet. That project was very successfully funded at more than 3 times the goal, and now the ChargeCard is ready for shipping to the general public. BiteMyApple, a website that sells only
Wallet-sized ChargeCard cable now available. Read More
If you travel with multiple USB-chargeable devices in a car with only one power outlet, you may find yourself having to make a difficult decision – which device do I charge? With the Y-Charge from TYLT, your decision will be easier because you can charge two devices at once. The Y-Charge plugs directly into the
Y-Charge turns your car’s power outlet into a dual charging station Read More