More cool gadgets

My cousin Paula reminded me of another few cool products that I discovered over the summer.   Now that I have a nifty iPhone, the need for portable power has become more necessary, especially if I’m going to be away from a power source for an extended period of time.

I found this on a trip to Radio Shack, it’s called the Lenmar PowerPort PPU2100B.   You can get one from Buy.com or here TheNerds.net.

Specs: • Universal Power Pack will charge or supplement iPods, Sony PSP, cell phones and PDA’s or any USB Powered or chargeable device – Black Color • Can recharge your device up to 4-5 times on a single charge. Includes PowerPort Battery, 3 ft. charging cable with tips for charging most USB Powered devices including: MP3 Players, Cell Phones, PDA’s, Digital Cameras and Camcorders, Gaming Devices and more. • 5V 7.8Wh • Lithium Ion

As you can see, the device is just about the size of the iPhone.   This was super handy over the summer when I’d spend 3 to 5 hours a day at the beach.   Without this device, there would be no way I could have made it through the day.

It will also charge any USB compatible device… I’ve used it to charge Eileen’s T-Mobile Wing, our Razr v3 and my daughter’s iPod.

Next up, a Black & Decker Power To Go device.   This one is very cool, but much larger than the Lenmar model. You can get one at Buy.com.   I would have suggested this to her for use with her laptop, but this isn’t powered off the car cigarette lighter – it’s a standalone power unit.

* Powers & recharges personal electronics * Supplies portable AC & USB power to mobile electronics * No adapters needed, plug your charger in and power on the go * Provides up to 9 hours of extended runtime* * Compact & portable power supply anytime & anywhere (from the Manufacturer) Because staying connected is a basic human need, Black & Decker created Power To Go. These lightweight and compact powerful solutions come equipped with both AC & USB outlets allowing you to power and/or recharge a variety of mobile devices while on the go. No special adapters needed, one Power To Go does it all. Like a portable outlet, Power To Go is a cordless, rechargeable power supply that meets the busy pace of your life – anywhere and everywhere!

Staying connected is a basic human need, huh? I thought things like food and shelter were… but I digress.

As you can see from the picture, this unit is much heftier than the PowerPort – but it claims that you can run your laptop off this! I haven’t tried it in the real world yet, but I’m sure that you can only get a few minutes off this with a laptop. I’d be willing to bet that you can get HOURS and HOURS of charge time for a phone or small electronic device. One curious thing was, that even though this device has two USB ports and one power port, I was unable to get my iPhone to charge of the USB port. When I plugged in the wall charger unit for the iPhone, it charged just fine – go figure.