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Exogear's Exovolt Plus: The stackable external battery pack arrives
There are a ton of external battery packs for iPhones and iPads. I remember the good old days when it seemed like the only packs available were little blobs that you'd plug into the bottom of an iPhone to keep it going for a few more hours. Now everybody and their brother-in-law has an external battery pack in their line, so it's nice to see one that's completely different from the rest of the pack. It's the Exogear Exovolt Plus, which has the distinction of being a stackable battery pack. Read on -- we're going to give away some goodies to one lucky TUAW reader. Design and Functionality The Exovolt Plus comes in two models: the main battery (US$89.95) and sub batteries (US$49.95 each). To power your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad, you need at least one main battery. It has a micro-USB port for charging and a full-sized USB port to charge up your devices. There's also a power button and four white LEDs that give you the relative charge level of the stack of batteries. The sub batteries are slightly thinner, don't have the ports, but do have a small socket on one top corner that contacts a male connector on the bottom of the main battery. The sub batteries also have one of those male connectors on the bottom, so you can stack as many of them as you want to to create a tower of power. %Gallery-162741% The Exovolt units are white, about 3-3/4" square, and have rounded corners. The bottom sides are blue, and there are small latches on the sub batteries to insure a solid connection to the main battery or other sub batteries. To make sure that your stack 'o power is safe to be around, Exogear built in double circuit protection, overheat protection, short-circuit protection, and an automatic input/output control. The main battery package comes with a carry pouch, micro-USB and Dock Connector cables, and a simple user manual. How much capacity do these things have? Each Exovolt Plus battery has a capacity of 5,200 mAh, and stacking ten of them would give you an astounding 52,000 mAh of energy for keeping your iPad going when the zombie apocalypse starts. Of course, that would put you back a whopping $539.50, but you'd have bragging rights... In fact, nowhere on the Exogear website or in the limited documentation that comes with the Exovolt Plus did I see anything about a limit on how many of these things you can stack. Doing a little math and knowing that the main battery is 1.5 cm thick and the sub batteries are 1.2 cm thick (and assuming that the plastic would stand the weight of a huge column of batteries, which it wouldn't), you could equal the height of the Burj Khalifa (829.84 meters or 82984 cm) by stacking approximately 69,153 of these things at a cost of around $3,454,282. That thin tower would supply 359,595,600 mAh for your iPad movie watching marathon. In all seriousness, though, the Exovolt batteries are well-built and a stack of these guys would get you through a lot. Conclusion The Exovolt Plus battery pack system is a unique, but pricey, way to make sure that you have power to spare for your electronic devices. The ability to stack the batteries for extra capacity is brilliant. Pros Nicely designed and built Stackable design expands capacity as you need it Cons Expensive; by comparison, Satechi's 5,200 mAh battery pack is only $39.99, and their 10,000 mAh model is only $59.99 Who is it for? Someone who needs a lot of power to go, and has the bucks to buy a lot of these stackable packs Giveaway We're giving away a pair of Exovolt Plus battery packs -- one main battery, one sub battery -- and a sweet Tabu tablet pouch to one lucky TUAW reader. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before August 21, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive one Exogear Exovolt Plus main battery valued at $89.95, one Exogear Exovolt Plus sub battery valued at $49.95, and a Tabu tablet pouch valued at $39.95. Click here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Satechi's Portable Energy Station ups the ante for external power
Just about every time I turn around, there's another new external battery pack for iOS devices that has more storage capacity than the previous capacity leader. Yesterday, accessory manufacturer Satechi came out with the Portable Energy Station, a relatively inexpensive (US$49.95) external battery pack with a huge battery capacity. Like the $99.95 mophie juice pack powerstation duo, the Portable Energy Station has two USB ports enabling charging of two devices at once. However, Satechi has managed to squeeze 10,000 mAh of power into their device -- 4,000 mAh more than the mophie product. One of the two ports on the Portable Energy Station can handle 1 Amp of current (enough to charge an iPhone or iPod touch), while the other puts out 2 Amps and can handle charging an iPad. With all of that power, the Portable Energy Station is still incredibly lightweight. It weighs just 7.4 ounces, and takes up only 5.5" x 2" x .75" of volume in your computer bag. The Satechi Portable Energy Station is available today, and we'll have a review of the device in the near future.
Mo' power from mophie: juice pack powerstation duo, mini
The hits just keep coming from accessory manufacturer mophie: they've announced two new power packs to keep your iOS devices purring happily. The juice pack powerstation duo (US$99.95) and juice pack powerstation mini ($59.95) are the latest in a series of external battery packs designed to provide power for hours of fun ... or work. mophie juice pack powerstation duo The powerstation duo (seen above) is the perfect idea for travel. As the name implies, the 6000 mAh device has two USB ports and 2.1 Amp output so that you could provide two iPads with a bit more power for the road. With that amount of juice packed inside (see what I did there?), you might be worried about what could happen if this power pack decided to short out. Worry not, for there inside the box is built-in short circuit and overcharge protection. The powerstation duo is packaged in a black soft-touch case with a metal band around the exterior, the perfect accessory for your iPad or iPhone. It has an LED power indicator built in so you can see how much power you have left, and when you're ready to recharge the pack, the powerstation duo supports high-current charging so you're back on the road quickly. All of this power is only going to take up a scant 2.28" x 4.30" x 0.78" in the midst of your socks and underwear in your suitcase, and adds 6.9 ounces to the weight. %Gallery-158372% mophie juice pack powerstation mini When you need a bit more power than mophie's juice pack reserve keychain fob can provide, but still want to be able to have power in your pants, the powerstation mini may do the trick. It packs 2500 mAh inside, over three times the amount of power provided by the juice pack reserve. The juice pack powerstation mini looks a lot like a shrunken-head version of the powerstation duo, only with a single USB port instead of two. Size-wise, it's 1.92" x 3.64" x 0.53", so you won't look like you're happy to see your friends if the powerstation mini is in a front pants pocket. At 2.8 ounces of weight, it's not going to feel like you have a brick in your pocket. The powerstation mini isn't designed to recharge your iPad; it only has an output of 1 amp. It will keep your iPhone and iPod touch happy. Giveaway As much as we use up battery power on the iPads and iPhones here at the TUAW labs, we don't keep the sample devices provided by vendors. That means that two TUAW readers are going to end up with a mophie product just in time for summer vacations. To enter the giveaway, just fill out the form below completely and submit it. We'll select a pair of winners next week. Here are the rules for the giveaway: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before June 17, 2012 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. Two winners will be selected. One will receive a mophie juice pack powerstation duo valued at $99.95, one will receive a mophie juice pack powerstation mini valued at $59.95 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Mophie juice pack powerstation PRO: A big gas tank for your gizmos
We test a lot of external power packs here at the top-secret TUAW labs, most of which are just powerful enough to top off an iPhone or iPod touch. But what if you need enough juice to top off a couple of iPhones or an iPad? That's where Mophie's new juice pack powerstation PRO (US$129.95) comes in handy. Read on for a full review and a chance to win a juice pack powerstation PRO. The juice pack powerstation PRO is to most external power packs as a gasoline tank truck is to the tank in your family car. It has a capacity of 6000 mAh, which is over four times the capacity of the 1432 mAh battery in your iPhone 4S. Imagine being able to completely charge an iPhone 4S four times from the powerstation PRO, and you have a pretty good idea of its capabilities. That won't completely recharge a new iPad, which has a huge 11666 mAh battery, but it will extend the operating time by another five hours or so. The original iPad battery (6600 mAh) and iPad 2 battery (6930 mAh) will see almost a doubling in operating time from the juice pack powerstation PRO. The pack pumps out energy at 2.1 Amps, about what you'll get from the standard iPad power brick. %Gallery-154194% The powerstation PRO is incredibly well-built -- in fact, it's IP-65 rated, which means that it's protected against dirt, sand, and water. Sure, you won't want to bring it into a bathtub with you, but it could probably withstand the spray from a shower as the charging and output ports both have their own watertight seals. The entire power pack is made of aluminum and steel with a rubber-like impact resistant exterior. Size-wise, the powerstation PRO is only 2.63" x 4.53" x 1.03" in size and weighs 7.6 ounces. It's small enough to fit in a pocket, although I wouldn't recommend putting into a pants pocket unless you don't mind getting strange looks. A set of four LEDs on the front of the case act as a "fuel meter" to tell you the charge level of the powerstation PRO. How did the powerstation PRO work? Just great. I didn't have a chance to drop it down a hill and into a river like the guy in the video below, but I was quite impressed with both the speed with which it charged my iPhone and the rugged looks of the case. And now for a giveaway! To enter, just fill out the form below completely and click on the submit button. Only one entry per person, and you must follow the rules: Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older. To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button. The entry must be made before April 30, 2012 at 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time. You may enter only once. One winner will be selected and will receive a mophie juice pack powerstation PRO valued at US$129.95 Click Here for complete Official Rules. Loading...
Apple patent application reveals plans for external battery pack, spells further trouble for HyperMac
Way back in September of last year, Apple filed a patent-infringement suit against HyperMac, the folks behind these external batteries. At the time, it looked like Apple was protecting its patented MagSafe power connector, but a newly released USPTO application for a "Power Adapter with Internal Battery" might reveal a more accurate view of the company's litigious motivations. From the look of things, the outfit intends to make its mark on juicing solutions with what is basically a wall charger packing an internal battery. According to the patent filing, the contraption would include a processor for parceling energy to the host device as well as the adapter, and could also incorporate a supplemental energy source like a solar cell. Among other things, it would also communicate with the device being charged to allow users to monitor the juice stored in the extra battery. If the thing does end up making it to market, it looks like HyperMac could have a whole lot more trouble on its hands than a little patent-infringement suit.
Scosche's goBAT II portable battery pack handles two USB devices at once, including your iPad
We'll just keep it real simple for you: the object you're looking at above is the Revive II charger, but slimmer, and with a rechargeable battery pack thrown in rather than a wall / cigarette adapter. Got it? Good. The goBAT II contains a 5000mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery, and it offers a pair of USB ports for charging. One's a 10-watt (2.1 Amp) port capable of handling high-maintenance devices like Apple's iPad, while the other is a more conventional 5-watt (1 Amp) socket. Scosche is also throwing in a USB adapter for the Galaxy Tab, theoretically letting those with divided households charge both an iOS and Android tablet at the same time. Brain melting, we know. It also works with the company's Revive charging app, which indicates how long a device will take to charge on any of Scosche's chargers and can also be configured to send an email notification once a device has been fully charged. She's all yours down at the source link for $89.99.
HyperMac to become HyperJuice in response to hyperactive Apple legal team
Apple legal has been abnormally busy over the last year as it engaged a who's who of cellphone makers and government agencies. They've also come down hard on Sanho Corporation's HyperMac subsidiary for using MagSafe and iPod connectors without approval. In response, HyperMac announced that it would stop selling MagSafe cables thereby rendering its HyperMac lineup useless for charging the non-removable batteries in Apple's MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro (although they can still charge USB connected devices like the iPad and iPhone). Now Daniel Chin, President of Sanho Corporation, is informing us that they'll be changing the HyperMac name to "HyperJuice" as part of its ongoing "comprehensive licensing negotiations" with Apple said to cover a "wide array of technologies and issues." He also reminded us that you only have a few hours left to snag a HyperMac with the all important MagSafe cable as sales will be suspended as of midnight tonight -- 00:00 US Pacific Time. Hey, with few alternatives, you might as well go down swinging selling.
Exolife Exogear iPhone 4 battery case review
You asked for it now here it is, part two of our iPhone 4 battery case review featuring fan-fave Exolife from Exogear. Like the Mophie Juice Pack Air and Mili PowerSpring 4 battery packs we already reviewed, the Exolife case promises to "virtually double" the life of your iPhone 4 -- something neither the Mophie nor Mili could quite pull off. Exogear's claim is even more bold given its additional boast about being the "world's thinnest and lightest battery case" for the iPhone 4. Can it possibly compete and knock the Mophie Juice Pack Air out of its title position? Click through to find out.%Gallery-104545%
Mophie Juice Pack Air vs. Mili PowerSpring 4 review
If you're an iPhone owner then you've certainly heard of the Mophie Juice Pack. It's emerged as the external battery pack of choice for any iPhone owner needing more untethered power than Apple can provide from its non-removable batteries. But what about all those feisty upstarts? Can they compete in terms of design, functionality, and price? Let's find out. We put two iPhone 4 external battery pack cases -- the Mophie Juice Pack Air and Mili PowerSpring 4 -- head to head to see how they perform. Both promise to double the iPhone 4's 1420mAh li-poly battery life without adding too much bulk. And surely the 1600mAh capacity Mili outlasts the 1500mAh Mophie, right? You'd be surprised.%Gallery-102982%
Samsung Galaxy S Power Pack: when internal batteries are just too convenient
Somebody at Samsung apparently forgot that its very popular Galaxy S handset (in all its varieties) has -- are you ready for this -- a user-replaceable battery. Now, we don't mean a warranty breaking, two-screws-and-it's-out replaceable battery. No, the battery in the Galaxy S is designed (and promoted) to be switched out by the user. Just pry off the back cover and there it is, ready to swap whenever more juice is required. So why anyone would slap a big, bulky, external slab onto their svelte S is beyond us, regardless of the extra 8.5 hours of talk time listed in the Samsung Germany newsletter. We'd understand if it had a working GPS radio, but like the Galaxy S, it doesn't.
HyperMac external battery powers MacBooks for 32 hours
Yep, Sanho's Hypermac is a big clunky external battery pack. Sure, we're intrigued by the idea of running a MacBook Pro for 32 hours straight, but we'd really rather hunt around for a power outlet than drop $500 on the 222Wh unit required to make that happen. On the other hand, we could definitely see splurging for the $150 car charger or the $200 60Wh model, but we're crazy like that. Shipping later this month, we're told.
Princeton's PMB-BP18 external battery pack for USB devices
Whether in the form of compressed images spun from disk or received over the air, portable video is a battery killer. Toss in a bit of WiFi and Bluetooth wireless to grind modern handhelds to a halt in just a few hours. This unfortunate truth makes sad chunky slabs of plastic and lithium polymer a must for those of you in need of some extra go-go juice. The Princeton PMB-BP18 is a 75-gram external battery pack capable of re-charging any portable USB device such as cellphone or iPod when away from the mains. What's more, Princeton touts the device's ability to charge the typical Japanese cellphone (via accompanying au and DoCoMo cables) twice before the PMB-BP18 external battery requires a refill. Sorry, that's an adjustable stand, not the backside of an LCD you're looking at, which somehow manages prop up your phone or mp3 player for viewing without the device sliding into your lap. Available now in Japan for ¥4,980 or about 44 US bucks.
