Quest for Power: iPhone charging device for SXSW

I’m headed to South By Southwest this March, and one thing I learned last year was to be prepared for mass amounts of personal device power consumption. Not that AT&T is likely to have their towers actually serving up a usable signal when the hordes descend upon Austin, but it is conceivable I may find some wifi.  Thus I wanted to do some research on a device to take with to keep my electrons topped off.

My main use is a charger for my iPhone, but USB charging has some appeal. I was very impressed with the Tekken myPower Jailbreak iPhone 6 that Steve Paine used last year. It is bulkier than the other options, but can charge a much wider range of devices. It’s also interesting to try and quickly compare these things, as some measure in terms of extra talk time, while others talk in terms of number of full recharges to a typical device.  I am sure I could dig into the tech specs around mAh to sort it out, but that’s more than the consumer-level review I wanted to make.

The chargers I looked at seemed to fall into three general categories: iPhone only, USB devices, and Full Batteries.  The USB device chargers work for a wider range of devices like Pre’s and Kindles, while the Full Batteries (like Tekkeon) charge laptops, netbooks, cameras, etc.  One sad discovery is that apparently Apple is not licensing its MagSafe technology connector for newer Macbooks, so I didn’t see any options at all for battery charging there. They should still work well for my camera, netbook, etc.

I’m not trying to build a comprehensive guide, but here is the list of device suggestions I received on Twitter. If I got anything wrong below, you can fill in any blanks, or there is a different option not listed here please let me know.

Device	Price	Devices	Charge Given to iPhone	Pros	Cons
Monoprice iPhone Backup External Battery	$12	iPhone battery	Charged iPhone 2.5 times	Highly suggested by multiple people; inexpensive	iPhone/iPod only; blocks iPod headphone jack when in use
Griffin PowerDue Reserve	$60	iPhone battery; USB charger	?	Charges iPhone and USB devices; built in device charger with AC or Car	Blocks iPod headphone jack
ZAGGsparq	$99	USB battery and charger	Charges iPhone 4 times	Charges multiple devices; USB and iPhone	Requires USB cable to charge iPhone
Tekkeon myPower ALL MP3450	$110	Up to full laptop charging; USB charging	14 hours (assuming PDA)	Charges iPhone, USB, laptop; lots of power; includes retractable USB cable	Size (7″ long) and weight (15oz)
Richard Solo Backup Battery	$40	iPhone battery	Charges iPhone ~ 2 times	Charges both battery and phone; USB plug in socket	iPhone only
Incase Power Slider	$99	iPhone battery	5 hours talk time; 5 hours 3G/Wifi	Doubles as case; works as extended battery	Less total charge than some others
Mophie Juice Pack	$99	iPhone battery	5 hours talk time; 5 hours 3G/Wifi	Doubles as case; works as extended battery; can charge both at same time	Less total charge than some others
iGo Charge Anywhere	$49	USB battery and charger	Charge iPhone ~ 2 times	Charge multiple devices; works globally without adapter; free connector tip to tailor to your device	Requires USB cable to charge iPhone

I haven’t made a decision yet, but will post again when I sort it out. And by way of disclaimer, I work at Sitewire, which does work for iGo, but I’m after the best bang for the buck so am looking at them all levelly.

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