Batteries and Chargers - The Gadgeteer

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

By Julie Strietelmeier / May 16, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Car Gear, Qi / 4 Comments

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 […]

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

Read and write flashdrive for your iPad and other iOS devices

By Janet Cloninger / May 14, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, iOS / 6 Comments

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

Read and write flashdrive for your iPad and other iOS devices Read More

Etón BoostSolar now available

By Julie Strietelmeier / May 13, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Outdoor Gear, solar charger / Leave a Comment

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

Etón BoostSolar now available Read More

Powerstick+ USB Drive/Power Charger review

By Raul Sanchez / May 8, 2013 / Reviews / Batteries and Chargers, Flash Memory / Leave a Comment

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

Powerstick+ USB Drive/Power Charger review Read More

mophie juice pack now available for the HTC One

By Janet Cloninger / May 2, 2013 / Uncategorized / Android, Batteries and Chargers, Cases and Covers / Leave a Comment

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

mophie juice pack now available for the HTC One Read More

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

By Janet Cloninger / April 29, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Emergency preparedness, Outdoor Gear, solar charger / 2 Comments

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

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

By Ryan Chapman / April 27, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, solar charger / Leave a Comment

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

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

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 26, 2013 / Articles / Batteries and Chargers, gadget diary / 18 Comments

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

Just Mobile Gum Max Duo review

By Smythe Richbourg / April 25, 2013 / Reviews / Batteries and Chargers, Travel Gear / Leave a Comment

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

Just Mobile Gum Max Duo review Read More

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

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 25, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, USB / 1 Comment

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

This gives “crank telephones” a whole new meaning…

By Janet Cloninger / April 24, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Emergency preparedness / 3 Comments

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

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

By John Schettino / April 23, 2013 / Reviews / Batteries and Chargers, iOS / Leave a Comment

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

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

Brando Power Jacket for Nokia Lumia 920 – 2200mAh review

By John Schettino / April 19, 2013 / Reviews / Batteries and Chargers, Cases and Covers, Windows Phone / Leave a Comment

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

Hack your nightstand into a Qi inductive wireless charging station

By Janet Cloninger / April 19, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Do-It-Yourself / 3 Comments

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

Do you know where your MagSafe converter is?

By Janet Cloninger / April 18, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Computer Gear / Leave a Comment

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

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

By Julie Strietelmeier / April 3, 2013 / Uncategorized / Android, Batteries and Chargers, gadget diary / 56 Comments

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

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

By Janet Cloninger / April 3, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers / Leave a Comment

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

Charge your devices faster with the ChargeDr

By Janet Cloninger / March 29, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, USB accessory, USB charger / 2 Comments

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

A-solar Xtorm Portable Power Bank 7300 review

By Jackie Cheng / March 28, 2013 / Reviews / Batteries and Chargers, Portable power supply / 3 Comments

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

PowerSkin announces battery case for the BlackBerry Z10

By Janet Cloninger / March 28, 2013 / News / Batteries and Chargers, Blackberry, Cases and Covers / Leave a Comment

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