Take charge products to keep you juiced on the road

PRIME September 2012 By Gary M. Kaye Special to PRIME I am almost obsessed with the possibility of running out of battery power for my electronic devices while on the road. On a recent trip overseas, I took three portable battery backups in my carry-on knapsack to make sure I would have enough juice to power my iPhone, iPad, and my wife's Kindle Fire on a 13-hour flight and four-hour delay in the airport. For the trip itself, I brought more than half a dozen 110-to-220-volt converter plugs (fortunately most power supplies these days are dual voltage), as well as a triple outlet block. In each new hotel, one of the first chores was to locate outlets and then get everything charged for the next day's travels including phones, tablets, the laptop, and the camera batteries. While there are scores of charging options available in the marketplace, here's a sampling of different solutions that can provide everything from a quick boost for your cell phone all the way up to extra juice for your laptop. Small but powerful I am particularly fond of some of the smaller battery backup devices. Several models are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand while still providing a full day's charge for a smartphone. One of my favorites in this category is the Innergie PocketCell. This device, roughly the size of two lipsticks, comes with what Innergie calls its Magic Cable, one wire with an Apple plug, a mini USB plug and a micro USB plug, all of which snap into each other to become one very compact cable. Another in this category is the Portable Backup Battery from PowerMat, which also comes bundled with PowerMat's 24 Hour Power System. Verbatim, best known as the long time maker of floppy disks (remember those?) now makes a line of chargers as well. The Verbatim AA>Power Pack uses two AA batteries and claims up to an extra eight hours of talk time for your iPhone or Android phone. Verbatim's Ultra-Slim Power Pack is wider, but thinner, and is rechargeable to provide up to eight hours of talk time. Moving on up The MyCharge Peak6000 will let you charge as many as three devices at once. The device weighs about half a pound, which means you probably won't be carrying it in your pocket. It has built-in Apple and micro-USB connectors as well as an on-board USB connection. It can also be plugged directly into a wall socket. Besides offering up to 27 hours of cell phone talk time, this has enough juice to give your tablet computer a real boost. Heavy-duty help One of the problems I've had is in finding a supplementary power supply to get my laptop through a full day of work or flying without access to a plug (I seldom find the power plugs in airplanes), or at least finding one that's not as big and heavy and the laptop itself. Two relatively compact devices that get the job done come from Innergie. The Innergie mCube Slim 95 puts out 95 watts of power at 18 to 21 volts. It comes with nine different laptop-charging tips and also has a USB output to charge smaller devices. Two cautionary notes the Innergie mCube Slim 95 will not charge Apple notebooks, and there have been reports that the device gets pretty warm while charging. Another Innergie device, the mCube Pro, has a slightly lower rated output at 70 watts, but will still charge most non-Apple laptops, netbooks, and notebooks. This model also comes with a detachable adapter for automobiles or airplanes. Settling in for the night Another frustration I have on the road is a shortage of room outlets, especially in older hotels without computer-ready desks. The AviiQ Portable Charging Station can charge up to four devices while only using up one AC outlet. The unit comes with four USB ports and cable management, eliminating the annoying "dresser full of snakes." It comes in an attractive carrying case as well. Gary M. Kaye is an award-winning journalist who has covered technology topics for more than 30 years. He writes and does radio pieces for AARP and is senior writer for Tech Toys Magazine. In addition, he runs a consulting business helping hi-tech companies with strategic communications. Visit his new boomer tech website, www.intheboombox.tv.