Hasta La Gadget!

Devices that need charged on a regular basis, such as smartphones and tablets, are apt to be left plugged in for long periods of time, even if the battery itself has reached it full charge. Though charged, there is still an energy draw that is taking place, which results in wasted power, and, though not […]

If you’ve been searching for a mobile device battery that’ll power your smartphone or tablet up from your pocket recently, you know there’s essentially no end to your choices. The difference between one battery and the next can be as simple as the color choices you’ve got available. With the company iGO you’ve got a few unique features in their Power Trip line that may very well sway your pocketbook one way or the other.

With the Power Trip you’ve got a set of color options – six of them, to be exact, each of them ready to be your pocketable solution for on-the-go charging of your mobile device. The unit you’re seeing above and below is the Power Trip 4700, so named for its 4,700mAh power capacity. That amount, for your reference, is more than twice the amount of power of a standard Samsung Galaxy S III and more than three times the capacity of the iPhone 5.

This battery pack lineup works with a single full-sized USB port that’ll allow you to connect to your standard charging cord. In the box you get a miniature cord that can charge with microUSB and includes a converter tip so you can charge miniUSB devices as well. Unfortunately the package does not include a Lightning connector, so you’ll need to use the cord you got with your iPhone 5, iPad 4, or iPad mini, but rest assured: it does work.

Once you’ve used up all the power the iGO Power Trip is packing, you’ll have to recharge using the same microUSB cord you got in the box – only backwards. In this case you’ll need to plug the larger end in to your notebook or some other full-sized USB port you’d use at home to charge your devices.

This charger line comes in three different sizes, ranging from 3,000 to a massive 6,100mAh and works to charge your device with a single button click. Lights surrounding the single button on this charger show in simple terms how much of a charge you’ve got left, and the pack itself is perfectly pocketable. The largest size Power Trip will cost you $79.99, the 4700 will cost you $59.99, and the 3000 runs $49.99 – and they’re all available right this minute. Let us know how you roll!

iGO Power Trip line kicks mobile device charging down to the basics is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week we got the opportunity to have a peek at a collection of devices from MiPow, not least of them the Power Cube 8000M. This device is a relatively massive 8000mAh rechargeable battery able to bring your devices multiple charges over the span of its own full charge life. The entire unit is 92 x 92 x 17 mm and has a direct charging time of 8-10 hours.

The version of this device that we got here is the Purple while the folks at MiPow also have Orange, Charcoal Gray, and Silver available now. You’ll be able to charge this device up with your own microUSB cord from a wall socket the same as you would your own smartphone and you’ll be able to charge your Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, or BlackBerry device up at will. In fact, if you’ve got any sort of device that charges with either a micro USB (included in the device’s build), or full-size plug USB charging cable (like an iPhone 5 Lightning cable, for instance), you’ll be able to charge here.

Five of the sides (all but the bottom) are anodized aluminum while the bottom is “painted by a fine rubber” as they say, anti-slip and all. We’ve had a look at a few other MiPow devices this week as well including the SP 5500 mobile battery, also known as the Power Tube 5500. This machine works with 5500mAh battery capacity and is available in a massive amount of different colors – and it’s got a flashlight on it as well!

Have a peek at our whole CES 2013 offering in hands-on and up to the minute updates in our giant CES portal all week long. Also be sure to be on the lookout in the future for more MiPow action from all angles – they’ve also got Bluetooth headsets and speakers. Fun stuff for everyone!

MiPow Power Cube 8000M hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Rohm’s hydrogen fuel cells are meant to power smartphones and other mobile devices, but unlike other juicing-up solutions, the cells are only good for one charge. Rohm says disposable fuel cells can be made smaller and lighter than their multi-use counterparts, and as the only byproduct is hydrogen, the company is touting the cells’ eco-friendliness. The system generates electricity by using hydrogen that’s created by the reaction of a metal material and water. While the device we saw here at CEATEC is a prototype, Rohm may offer its recharging system as both a smartphone case and a USB-attachable juicepack. Each offers 5Wh and can fully charge a handset once. There’s also a 200W power generator, which certainly stretches the meaning of portable but can keep a laptop, LCD TV and a peripheral or two going for three to four hours. Rohm says its fuel cells will see a commercial release some time in 2013; for now you can get a sneak peek in our hands-on gallery below.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals

Rohm 5Wh hydrogen fuel cells power up smartphones, ready for the trash after one charge originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK carrier O2 is taking a pretty bold step: an as-yet-unannounced new HTC handset that it’s selling will come without a charger in the box. O2 claims it’s an attempt to be more environmentally friendly, but maybe it’s just the future. More »