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The best portable laptop charger
By Sarah Witman This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full portable laptop charger guide here. We spent 15 hours researching and 41 hours testing five top portable laptop chargers, and we found that the Mophie Powerstation AC is the best option if you want the ability to charge your computer and smaller devices while traveling, in an emergency, or whenever power outlets are out of reach. It can power laptops as robust as the 15-inch MacBook Pro, it's compact and lightweight, and it charges via USB-C—an increasingly ubiquitous standard. Mophie's charger is the one we'd buy ourselves. It's the smallest laptop charger we tested and one of the lightest. But it still performed well in our testing with more than 100 W of power output and enough capacity to bring a dead MacBook Air up to 81 percent charged, even during heavy use. It also has the best look and feel of any we tried—we really like how its slim, portable design and professional-looking fabric exterior is complemented by well-placed ports and a magnetic rubber flap protecting the AC output port. Plus, it's made by a company we trust, and its 24-month warranty is as good as any we found.
Transphorm promises brickless laptop chargers, power savings aplenty
Stop us if you've heard this one before. A mysterious startup company operates in secret for a number of years, raises millions in funding from some of the biggest players in the industry (in this case, Google and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers), and announces a breakthrough technology that promises to change everything. In this case the startup is a company called Transphorm, and the breakthrough is a gallium nitride technology that promises to improve AC/DC transformers. While that might not sound like the most exciting thing in the world, the company's CEO says that it could not only drastically reduce the electricity wasted by electronics that currently rely on silicon components, but significantly reduce the size of the components as well. One prime example there is laptop charger bricks, which Transphorm says could be reduced or even completely eliminated by building the necessary components right into the laptop itself. The company also sees a huge opportunity with electric cars, and especially data centers, which is one of the first markets it will be targeting. Of course, complete details are still fairly light at the moment, but the company is promising to unveil its first products in just two weeks, and you can be sure we'll be watching.
Lenovo Power Hub stuffs four powered USB ports into your laptop charger
There's really no better way to say it: the item you're peering at above is genius. Lenovo's Power Hub is a sight for sore eyes, and a product innovation we've needed for decades. Put simply, this ThinkPad charger (compatible with 90W and 65W machines) has a breakout USB cable that plugs into a single USB socket on your machine; from there, you can plug four USB devices directly into the power brick. At long last, laptop users can charge / sync their phone, their iPod and their MiFi all at once -- and yeah, that last port is most definitely reserved for your treasured Hello Kitty warming blanket. There's no word on if (or when) Lenovo will start bundling these chargers with their machines, but at least this thing is more than a concept -- it's available to order right now from the source link at $74.99. So much for counting that ultraportable out due to having "only" one or two USB ports, eh? %Gallery-101890%
iGo unveils green power supplies, drives stake through vampire power
The cats at iGo are making their first-ever CES appearance next month, and they're bringing a suitcase of new gadgets with them, including three devices -- a laptop charger, a surge protector, and a wall outlet -- they say will reduce the power used when attached devices are in standby or off mode with automatic shut-off and recovery. Additionally, iGo will introduce a not-as-green netbook charger that, like its wallMAX predecessor, lets you simultaneously charge your phone, PMP, camera or other device. Rounding out the showcase are various assorted accessories like a card reader, laptop cleaning kit, and international travel adapter. We know you're simply dying to check out that triumvirate of awesome.
iGo intros everywhereMAX, wallMAX multi-device chargers
It looks like those in need of a replacement power adapter for their laptop, or those simply looking to streamline their device charging now have a couple of new options to consider from iGo, which has just introduced its everywhereMAX and wallMAX multi-device chargers. Each of those come equipped with iGo's dualpower accessory which, much like Lenovo's similar offering, will let you charge a cellphone, MP3 player, digital camera or other device while your laptop charges, and the everywhereMAX takes things one step further with additional adapters that'll let you plug into an auto outlet or airline seat. From the looks of it, you'll get eight different power tips for some of the most ever-present laptops with each charger, with additional tips available on the company's website. Those will run you ten bucks apiece, while the everywhereMAX and wallMAX adapters themselves will set you back $140 and $100, respectively.
