Batteries and Chargers

mophie juice pack helium – “lighter than air” power for your iPhone 5

mophie juice pack iphone 5

We’ve reviewed mophie battery cases at The Gadgeteer in the past.  I had the chance to review a juice pack case for my iPod touch, and I found it was a compact case with a lot of reserve power to keep my surfing and tunes going all day.  mophie is now introducing the juice pack […]

mophie juice pack helium – “lighter than air” power for your iPhone 5 Read More

Gomadic SunVolt Solar Power Station and Solar Cache High Capacity Battery Pack review

EPSN3276

As a child of the 70’s energy crisis, I’ve always been fascinated with alternative energy, such as solar power.  The SunVolt Power Station from Gomadic caught my eye as a possible solution to a modern problem:  How do you charge up your gadgets if you don’t have an outlet?  When Gomadic sent the Sun Volt Power

Gomadic SunVolt Solar Power Station and Solar Cache High Capacity Battery Pack review Read More

Smartronix USB Power Meter reveals the power needs of your favorite USB devices

usbpowermon

If you like to tinker with your own electronics projects or are a data geek who needs to know how much juice your tablet, smartphone or other USB device really needs to charge via USB, the Smartronix USB Power Meter will provide that info. It can also tell you how much power a USB port

Smartronix USB Power Meter reveals the power needs of your favorite USB devices Read More

Misemet r.pod multifunction electronic pod and solar charger review

schettino rpod review 11

The Misemet r.pod multifunction electronic pod and solar charger is not only a mouthful to say, it’s also a multifunction workhorse for off-the-grid power and light. Available in red, yellow, or green colors, it consists of the r.pod itself, which looks for all the world like a gigantic cold capsule, a handful of accessories, and

Misemet r.pod multifunction electronic pod and solar charger review Read More

XD Design Solar Sunflower – Solar charger with charm

xd design solarsunflower

Solar charging devices are a great way to keep your gadgets fully juiced for free. The problem with most of the solar charging products is that they don’t really blend in with your decor. The XD Design Solar Sunflower is a fun alternative that will look right at home in your… home. It’s shaped like

XD Design Solar Sunflower – Solar charger with charm Read More

Detech Solar-Powered Battery 4-port USB hub and charger

detech solar usb hub

I feel like I’m writing about one of those old Ronco products – “It slices, it dices, and it jump-starts your car!  Now how much would you pay?”  The Detech Solar-Powered Battery and 4-port USB hub does have a lot of functions, but all of them are related and useful.  Inside this handy little device

Detech Solar-Powered Battery 4-port USB hub and charger Read More

An iPhone charger that won’t disappear into the darkness in the bottom of your bag

uncommon goods portable iphone charger

This Portable iPhone Charger from Uncommon Goods is bright enough that you’ll be able to find it in the darkest bag.  No information about the capacity is mentioned, but the lithium battery should provide about three extra hours of charge to a discharged iPhone 3GS, 4 or 4S.  The charger is available in Bohemian Rainbow

An iPhone charger that won’t disappear into the darkness in the bottom of your bag Read More

Iron Giant Designs iPhone docks are crazy gorgeous and crazy expensive

irongiant

Do you charge your iPhone with a boring old cable? What the heck is the matter with you? Are you a gadgeteer or what? I bet these docks from Iron Giant Designs will make you drool. They offer a limited number of docks that are made from a solid hunk of metal or clear material

Iron Giant Designs iPhone docks are crazy gorgeous and crazy expensive Read More

Griffin Announces the PowerJolt SE car charger for new Lightning-equipped Apple iOS devices

griffin powerjolt lightning car charger

If you bought any of Apple’s newest iPods, the iPhone 5, or an iPad mini or iPad with Retina display, you’ll need to replace your old 30-pin accessories with new Lightning connector accessories.  Griffin has your car charger needs covered with the PowerJolt SE with Lightning connector.  The low-profile charger has a permanently-attached, coiled cord

Griffin Announces the PowerJolt SE car charger for new Lightning-equipped Apple iOS devices Read More

Scosche introduces a line of Lightning cables and chargers

scosche lightning chargers

If you bought any of the updated iOS devices released by Apple recently, you know that they all use the new Lightning connector.  Scosche has just introduced a line of cables that will work with the new iPod nano or touch, the iPhone 5, the iPad mini, and the iPad with Retina display, and you’ll

Scosche introduces a line of Lightning cables and chargers Read More

Mophie introduces the juice pack for the Samsung Galaxy S III

mophie juice pack samsung galaxy s3

You can usually find dozens of cases, including those with backup batteries for iPhones, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find them for other phones.  mophie is known for their juice pack cases with backup batteries for iOS products and even for external battery packs, and now they are introducing one for the Samsung Galaxy

Mophie introduces the juice pack for the Samsung Galaxy S III Read More

New Power Series bags from Timbuk2 carry and charge your gear

timbuk2 power series bags

Timbuk2 has announced a series of bags that will carry your gear and keep it charged, too.  The Power Series bags begin with two of Timbuk2’s best selling bags, the Commute Laptop Messenger and the Q Laptop Backpack, and add a dedicated pocket inside to hold the power pack.  In addition to all the features

New Power Series bags from Timbuk2 carry and charge your gear Read More

Avantree Pluto Air Hifi Bluetooth mini speaker review

AvantreeSpeaker1

With the rise of better music players and streaming services in the last few years, we have also seen a rise in the number of speaker systems, personal earphones/buds and other ways to actually hear the music being offered up. In public situations, folks usually want to have their music pumped directly into their ears,

Avantree Pluto Air Hifi Bluetooth mini speaker review Read More

Mophie introduces White Juice Pack Powerstations, exclusively at Apple

mophie white juice pack powerstation

Mophie has introduced new, white versions of their Powerstation backup batteries that will be available exclusively from Apple stores and Apple.com.  All three versions of the Powerstation are available in white.  Shown from left to right are the Powerstation Mini, Powerstation, and Powerstation Duo.  (Click for a larger view.)  The Powerstation Mini ($59.95) has a 2500mAh

Mophie introduces White Juice Pack Powerstations, exclusively at Apple Read More

Eton Corporation Announces the Boost Line Mobile Charging Solutions

eton boostturbine and boostbloc chargers

Eton Corporation produces a variety of emergency preparedness gear, and they are expanding their line with two dedicated charging solutions.  First up (right photo) is their BoostTurbine Series chargers.  The BoostTurbine2000 (2000mAh for $59) and BoostTurbine1000 (1000mAh for $49) feature a rechargeable lithium battery and a hand-turbine power generator that serves as a “back up for

Eton Corporation Announces the Boost Line Mobile Charging Solutions Read More

ZAGGsparq 6000 mAh Portable Battery/Charger review

zagg sparq

I travel a great deal for my day job and all too often forget one or more of the needed accessories to charge my litany of tech equipment. Every time that happens, I think to myself (after several choice words) that I really need a dedicated set of charging gear staged in my bag. Well,

ZAGGsparq 6000 mAh Portable Battery/Charger review Read More

Pre-order Skooba Design’s new Photo / Tablet Traveler V.3 and the Cable Stable Rollup Kit and save 25%

skooba camera and cables bags

Skooba Design is offering their two newest bags at a 25% savings if you pre-order before release day.  The Photo / Tablet Traveler V.3 is a portable “digital studio”, with room for a DSLR and mounted lens plus a tablet.  (Click the image for a larger view.)  There are more than a dozen pockets, including

Pre-order Skooba Design’s new Photo / Tablet Traveler V.3 and the Cable Stable Rollup Kit and save 25% Read More

Satechi announces two new four-port Strip and Pocket USB hubs

satechi strip and pocket usb hubs

These two new USB hubs from Satechi won’t add much bulk to your travel gear, but they’ll give you four additional USB 2.0 ports for connecting your devices to your computer (Windows 98SE /ME /2000 /XP /Vista /7, Mac OS 9.1 or above, or Linux 2.4 or above) or to game consoles.  Both hubs have bus overvoltage

Satechi announces two new four-port Strip and Pocket USB hubs Read More

Magic-Pro ProMini 4000+/S external backup battery review

Promini 4000

There are so many external batteries available these days that once you’ve sorted out what  USB amperage output you require, the decision becomes one of capacity, size, weight, shape and form factor.  Capacity, weight and size become a compromise of course; the bigger the capacity, the bigger and heavier the unit will be. Most of

Magic-Pro ProMini 4000+/S external backup battery review Read More

Compact Energizer USB 5W Premium Wall Charger with microUSB Cable

energizer usb wall charger

Energizer has other USB chargers, but the USB 5W Premium Wall Charger  combines cord storage with charging.  The charger has a fold out plug, and it has flexible cord storage so you can keep your charging cable with the charger.  It even comes with a 27″ microUSB cable, which will work for many phones, MP3

Compact Energizer USB 5W Premium Wall Charger with microUSB Cable Read More