Posts Tagged cell phone chargers
New Gadgets for Travelers at the Consumer Electronics Show
Our resident tech gadget reviewer John Gordon wasn’t able to attend this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but Dave Sniadak is popping in as a guest reviewer to give us the lowdown on what’s new and interesting this year. Take it away Dave!
The Consumer Electronics Show is a massive meshing of man and technology: some gadgets already implemented onto the market, others merely concepts hoping to catch the eye of a box store buyer or visionary venture capitalist in search of the”next big thing”. While the overwhelming message from this year’s CES was predominantly 3DTV and tablet technology, I was able to find a few gadgets that play nice with those of us who prefer to hit the road in search of real 3D images, instead of those seen only through the eye of technology.
As our tech gear demands increase, so will the need to power the gadgets that get us from Point A to Point B. While we want to stay connected, it’s important we remember the impact our energy demands have on the world around us. That’s why I was so blown away by the nPower PEG (or Personal Energy Generator), created by the amazing folks at Tremont Electric (Cleveland, OH).
Using the science of kinetic energy generated by our own forward motion, the nPower PEG claims to be the “next generation of hybrid chargers”. The nPower PEG is 9″ long, 1.5″ wide in diameter, weights 11 ounces, retails under $160 and stores user-generated energy in its’ 1,000mAh lithium polymer battery. By using the natural up and down motion of movement – whether walking, running, biking, horseback riding or hiking – you’re able to plug in your USB 2.0 cable to power up your cell phone, camera, mp3 player, GPS or other travel gadget. Plus, it fits nicely in the side pocket of your backpack, so no worries about finding a place to store it on your waistline. Tremont Electric says their kinetic energy device taps into the “renewable energy of motion”; I call it “the next major movement in keeping us connected”. Find more info at www.npowerpeg.com.
Along the lines of energy consciousness, California-based TravelersChoice has introduced a new line of EcoTraveler Solar Powered bags. The one that resonated with me, as a father of two young kids and a family that loves to take nice long road trips, was the EcoTraveler Cooler Bag. Yeah, I’m all about keeping the string cheese and juice boxes chilled and at the ready for when the kids start in with the “Are we there yet?” pestering. It’s a bit spendy – around $180 – but worth it if it means you can say goodbye to an extra charger or two.
What makes this bag great is the flexible, durable solar panel at the top of the bag. The included battery allows you to soak up the power of the sun via the photovoltaic (PV) technology embedded in the solar panels, made by Konarka Power Plastics. While the EcoTraveler doesn’t provide enough juice to power a laptop, it can easily give you extra hours of fun with your smart phones, mp3 players, and portable gaming devices. The waterproof cooler is designed to keep your perishable goods cool while on the road – meaning the juice will be ready, for both the kids AND their toys. At the moment it only seems to be available at SkyMall and on eBay.
Dave Sniadak writes at HDHubby.com and is a self-prescribed airport addict. When he’s not busy dreaming up his next trip that involves as many connections as possible, he’s producing video content for clients at Minneapolis-based agency, Axiom Marketing Communications. A proud father of two young children, Dave is enjoying daily diaper duty (again), as well as the ups and downs of being a new homeowner. Connect with him on Twitter – @davesniadak
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on January 12th, 2011
The powermonkey-eXplorer Charges Small Electronic Gadgets via the Sun
The company powertraveller (yes, it’s one of those brands with a lowercase proper name) makes battery-charging products, including the powermonkey-eXplorer, which is designed to charge iPods, phones, cameras and other gadgets on the go. This particular portable charger gets its power from the sun, via an attached “solar-slave,” two folding, protective solar panels that can harness the sun’s energy simply by being placed near a window or outdoors.
According to marketing materials, when the powermonkey-eXplorer unit is fully charged (via the solar-slave or a regular wall-outlet plug-in or the included USB cable), it can power an iPod for 40 hours, cellphones for 96 hours (in standby mode) and two-way radios up to 24 hours. It has an outlet voltage between 4.5 and 5.5v, which means it cannot charge a laptop.
The entire kit comes with different tips to use with different electronic devices, as well as an electrical-outlet charger with different heads for use in the US/Japan/China, Australia, Europe and the UK. While I was thrilled to find that one of the tips fit my Blackberry Bold, it’s unfortunate it didn’t come with a tip to directly charge my kids’ Nintendo DS Lites (horrors!). We can, however, use the powermonkey-eXplorer’s female USB tip, and use kids’ existing Nintendo DS charger to power the portable video-game players by sunlight on our next camping trip (whew!).
I’ve tested the powermonkey-eXplorer firsthand to see how quickly and easily the unit can be charged via sunlight — you don’t even have to put it in direct sunlight, but simply by a window. I’ve also charged my Blackberry directly via the solar-slave, which is pretty cool. On a backcountry expedition or extended camping trip or any other time you’d want to have power at your fingertips for small electronic devices, I think this portable charger would do the job nicely. It comes in a small carrying case — measuring about 6 x 5 x 2 inches — so you could toss it in a carry-on bag for backup power for your electronic devices on a long trip (you know, for one of those “just in case” scenarios). It also comes with a Velcro strap so you can hang the solar-slave from a backpack or the like.
It retails for $105 on Amazon.com; also check out prices (and buy additional tips) on the powertraveller.com site.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on December 14th, 2010
Powermat: A New Way to Charge Your Gear
Powermat portable
If you’re a road warrior who packs a lot of gear—cell phone, GPS, music player, bluetooth headset and more—you’re probably used to carrying many different chargers and searching hotel rooms to find enough power outlets.
But there’s a new way to eliminate the tangled spaghetti of wires and the need to carry different chargers. Powermat offers a well-designed solution for charging your gear, on the road or in the office, with just one AC plug. It can charge several gadgets at the same time—as easily as laying them on a mat for some devices.
Plus, there’s a “wow” factor with the Powermat, which charges using magnetic induction and the company’s own patent-pending technology.
There are two versions. The portable charging mat folds into a compact size for travelers. The company also makes a non-folding mat for home and office use.
Here’s how it works. First, the mat is plugged into AC power. It can handle 110 or 240 volts for international travel. The cord winds up neatly for storage.
Powermat iPhone case
Then, each device connects and charges by setting a receiver on top of the mat. Powermat makes a cradle dock receiver for iPods and iPhones, receiver cases that fit the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch, back receiver panels for Nintendo and a special battery door for the Blackberry Curve.
For other gear, a small Powercube receiver sits on top of the mat with a short cord to plug into the device. There are interchangeable tips including micro and mini USB, Apple, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DS Lite, LG, Sony PSP and Samsung, enough to power hundreds of devices. A beep confirms that the device or receiver is properly placed and charging.
There’s also a handy tip-storage case that attaches to the universal Powercube receiver. Another interesting feature is a full-size USB plug on the mat which can be used to charge even more gear.
I’ve seen some concern that the Powermat takes longer to charge than plugging in a device directly, but that’s not been my experience. My iPod Touch, HTC smartphone and Bluetooth headset all seemed to take about the same time to top off with the Powermat as using conventional chargers. The company claims, in some cases, devices might charge even faster.
I’m impressed with thoughtful design and build quality of the Powermat. It works on a similar principle as the much-discussed Touchstone charging dock for the new Palm Pre smartphone. The Touchstone requires a special back cover to work. The Powermat’s advantage is the number of different devices it will charge.
In the future, I hope Powermat will make a bigger variety of cradles and cases to fit other popular devices.
List prices are $99.99 for either the home and office or portable Powermat, which includes one universal receiver with eight tips. Additional charging backs, cradles, cases and Powercube universal receivers range from $29.99 to $39.99 each.
For the electronics power user on the road—or in the home or office—Powermat offers a convenient, high-tech way to keep your gear going.
Get the home Powermat or portable Powermat at Amazon.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on October 26th, 2009
