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Quest for Power: iPhone charging device for SXSW

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{{de|1=Micro USB Ladekabel für Mobiltelefone}}
Image via Wikipedia

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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And the iTablet shall set ye free!

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Apple iPad Tablet Concept
Image by Photo Giddy via Flickr

Tomorrow Apple may (or may not) announce the information (or not) of their newest (or imagined) tablet that may possibly not be called the iTablet.  The buzz around this is approached ridiculous, passed through it, and actually came out the other side in what’s known as a “Fanboy Wormhole”.

I am not immune. I have no idea why I would want or need this object I have yet to even see, but my expectations are high. So are those of my online compatriots, so I asked for a list of what features this iTablet would need to have to meet their expectations. Here are the device specifications, according to the Wisdom of Crowds:

Appearance

  • Breathtakingly beautiful (only viewable through sunglasses)
  • Upholstered in rich corinthian leather
  • Light as a feather (Hummingbird’s)
  • Wafer thin
  • Cupholder

Specifications

  • Supports Linux
  • 3D visual display
  • 3D audio speakers
  • 3D smellorama
  • Infinite storage capacity
  • Anti-gravity stabilizers (for use as hoverboard)
  • Time travel through TARDIS interface (only available in blue)
  • Invisibility cloak
  • Bulletproof, laserproof, waterproof, deathproof

Features

  • Comedy detector
  • Bullshit detector
  • Built in lightsaber
  • Projectable Cone of Silence (double strength in coffee shops)
  • Folds clothes
  • Prevents dry skin (possibly through lotion dispenser/web cam combo)
  • Makes breakfast burritos
  • Roasts and brews coffee (possibly through the iStarbucks app)
  • Tissue dispenser
  • Walks your dog (using hoverboard feature to return if dog gets tired)
  • Detects Dark Matter
  • Slow or stop time (see: TARDIS feature)
  • Understand user’s intention independent of actual actions
  • Generates (then detects) Higgs Bosons

Many thanks to Troy, Martha, Jodi, Robin, Tim, Tammy, Paulette, Carlos, Ron, Shari, Dave, Dustin, Roger, Alan, Mark, Jess, Evelyn, and  Byron for helping me craft this crystal clear picture.  Here’s hoping that tomorrow all of our dreams come true!

Read our lastest cheap plasma cutter review by following the link below.

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It wasn’t this tough for Ceasar, I swear…

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We’re headed to Italy at Yunnan Baiyao Store for a little over a week, and I may need a separate suitcase just for all the freaking power cables and connectors. iPhone, Kindle, netbook, camera, and I don’t know all what else. It looks like a gangly plastic squid died on our kitchen table as I sort it all out to pack. And it’s not just the different amps for each one, they make universal adapters for that, but it’s all the custom end connectors for each toy.

I could charge them all (in theory) over USB from my Netbook, but I haven’t had it long enough to know how well that really works. So 4 miles of cables are going with us across the Rubicon.

I’m also using this as an experiment to see how I can blog about my trip WHILE I’m tripping. I mean traveling, not tripping. Anyway, I think I have Flickr set up for the images, which should be appearing on the front page of the blog. I also am going to turn back on the Twitter Tools feature to add my tweets into a blog post each day, so even if I only get a few tweets off each day they will get posted. Then there is the email-to-post feature in WP I’ve enabled, should I want to do a full post with the limited bandwidth I’ll have. Part of the challenge is not wanting a $3,000 iPhone bill when I get home. I’ll have a roaming package but it will be as sparse as I can possibly use it.

So if you want to follow along with our adventure, this is the place to watch…. in theory.

One school of thought might be I’m making this too complicated, and I think I’ve attended that school, but it’s kind of fun sorting all the silly stuff out.

It’s the geek in me.  It’s what I do.