I travel a lot. This means I struggle for battery power often but there are solutions.
My smartphone of choice is the great HTC One, for example, but it’s a sealed unit and spare batteries can’t be used. Instead I make extensive use of my HTC One battery bank that has enough charge for two batteries.
The bigger problem is my laptop. Right now I’m on a old touchscreen Acer that pretty much manages to run Windows 8.1. Battery life is a bit erratic but if I plug it in to charge then I’m often using the hotel room’s only power point. If I then try and charge devices, like my HTC battery bank, of the USB ports in the laptop then I’m not really doing all that much charging any more.
#1 Innergie
I was pointed at the mCube Slim from Innergie. It lives up to the name in terms of size and lets me charge another USB device at the same time.
The design got me thinking; who else is worth watching when it comes to power?
#2 Mu
I have two Mu folding plugs. These take the spatially large British power plugs and reduce their size by allowing you to fold them up. I actually carry one in my pocket. It’s very dirty now, a little cracked but still works.
#3 Eton
You may think I’m joking – but I’m not. I also have a hand crank that can power USB devices. It’s also a flashlight and radio. The Eton Rover Hand Powered Radio with USB Mobile Phone Charger doesn’t travel with me on business trips but stays at home in case of power cuts. It would also come with me on some long holidays.
#4 Moxia
Moxia’s Moixa USB batteries are on my to-buy list. They’ll take advantage of the power supplies mentioned above and let you transport that to a device which needs stanard batteries – like your bluetooth mouse or old camera.
#5 HP
What are HP doing here? While I was searching Amazon for examples of the power providers in the examples above I kept on running into HP’s 2700 Ultra-slim Battery. It has record reviews and lots of power. Sure; you may need an HP laptop for it to work but it’s a reminder that sometimes cases and docks are a great way to boost your power. After all, there’s a high chance my next “laptop” will be a separate screen (tablet) and keyboard. Both the tablet and keyboard may well have their own battery.
What are your thoughts? Which tech superstars are doing good with power?
