Unfortunately, in this world of mobile devices, we must face one harsh reality -- all of them need to be recharged. With that in mind, we took a look at several items that can make that task a bit easier.
The folks at Belkin have developed a 10-Port USB Charger ($299) that can charge up to 10 devices using a single power outlet.
Although this may seem a bit excessive, even by super technogeek standards, we often often find ourselves needing to re-energize the batteries in five or six devices at a time.
- Belkin claims it charges 14 percent faster than traditional 2.1A chargers. We have no way of proving or disproving this.
- It autosenses the power the battery needs, which means it can handle a large variety of devices, ranging from 1A to 2.4A full-rate charges.
- It's backward compatible to USB 2.0
- It comes with a wall mount
The new Poweradd 50W Six-Port USB Wall Charger ($65.99) is about a third the size of the Belkin 10-port charger and can provide the needed boost for any mobile device that can be charged using an USB cable. Also, like its bigger competitor, it offers the added convenience of being able to charge multiple devices using one power outlet.
In addition:
- It can handle everything from the higher demands of 2.4A batteries to devices that only require 2.1A or 1A compatibility
- It has a voltage range of 100-to-240 volts
- Everything is housed in a fire-resistant hard plastic shell.
But what happens if you can't get to a charger and your battery is nearing the dreaded one percent level? In these cases portable chargers and power banks may save the day.
Innovation Technology is one of many fuel cell manufacturers - - - most notably portable power devices from companies such as Mophie or Proporta come to mind -- flooding the market these days But the company's Justin line of chargers offers the most choices in power and capacity.
We've been playing with the Justin 2,200mAh Round Power Stick ($24.99), the Justin 6,000mAh Power Bank with a built-in stand ($39.99) and the Justin 10,000mAh Power Bank ($49.99). All of these devices were created to perform one basic task: to recharge the batteries of mobile devices when power outlets are not available.
The Justin Power Stick is designed to fit in your pocket, purse or briefcase and can give your phone, tablet or other device adequate power to operate for several additional hours, even if the battery has been fully drained, or can recharge the device once before needing to be recharged (another reason to need a multiport USB charger).
The 6,000mAh power bank is able to provide two or three charges to a 2.1A device (such as a Samsung Galaxy phone). It's not as small as the Power Stick, but can still easily fit in a briefcase, laptop case or purse. This power bank also features four LED lights that indicate the level of charge left in its batteries, letting you know when it needs to be recharged.
The 10,000mAh power bank is one of the most powerful portable chargers we've tested. It can charge two 2.1A devices at the same time and also has the LED power indicators found in the 6,000mAh device. We were able to get four single charges for our mobile devices using only one port and it was able to charge two devices twice before needing to be recharged.
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