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Powerbag introduces a ton of ways to charge just about everything
If there's one pain we know better than any at CES, it's the heartbreak of an empty battery. Powerbag feels our pain. The company has just launched a whole mess of ways to make sure your mobile gadgets don't lose their ever-precious charge. At the top of the list, of course, is the new Powerbag, the company's bread and butter. At tonight's CES kickoff event, it was showing off a messenger bag version of the product. Not surprisingly, this carrier doesn't have the sort of cache of, say, a Crumpler bag. This is a big bag that charges up to four mobile devices at the same time -- it looks about as dorky as you'd suspect from such a product, but when it comes to the love of your mobile devices, sometimes such vanity has to go out the window, right? Among the upgrades to the line is a slimmer battery, for charging your devices on the go -- certainly a welcome change. You can pick a Powerbag up now for $140. Also new is the myCharge Folio, an iPhone 4S case with a built-in USB cable that mimics the design of the Apple Smart Cover for the iPad and promises to double your battery life for $80. The $100 myCharge Duet also has a built-in USB cable and comes in two pieces, so you can slide off the battery, when you need the thing to be a little less bulky. The myCharge Concierge, meanwhile, is a portable charger with two USB ports for and an integrated car adapter that pops out. It'll run you $40. The myCharge Scout runs the same, featuring an integrated USB cord and a proprietary Apple connecter. For $60, you can pick up the myCharge Quest, which packs in a USB cord, and connecters for Apple and microUSB devices. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
Ask Engadget: best sub-$70 smartphone battery pack?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from a nameless Engadgeteer, who needs a heavy-duty smartphone battery for his nomadic life. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm kind of a nomad: I travel anywhere I can, sleeping away from civilization in my sleeping bag. My only issue is that my smartphone needs a recharge every two days. What I need, is an external battery pack that can give me a week's worth of juice -- but can I get a lightweight one that costs under $70? Many Thanks!"This is going to be a tough one, we know -- our first thought was toward a Powerbag with a 6000mAh battery, but that costs $170, more than twice our man's budget. Is there something cheaper you could suggest to our nomadic friend that'll enable him to stay off the grid long enough to become a modern day Grizzly Adams? All we ask for is a comment, and your knowledge to steer it by.
