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Jack Kapica
Movie Entertainment
July 2010
Sure, portable gadgets – cellphones, MP3 players, cameras – give us freedom. Or do they? At the end of the day, we still have to plug them in to recharge their batteries. And that keeps us tethered to the AC outlet. Until we invent a super-battery, keeping our cellphones or cameras charged when going on summer vacation requires planning.
Fortunately, we can extend that tether with products that will store power to keep us going longer. And we can feel virtuous for using them, too.
Technocel has a universal PowerPak that plugs into a wall; the palm-sized unit with foldaway AC prongs contains a quick-charging lithium-ion battery that’s easy to carry and use for restarting a dying camera or cellphone battery. It has eight mini connector cables that will work with most portable devices; there’s a ninth connector on the bottom, for USB devices, such as a netbook.
Duracell has three chargers using lithiumion batteries that can rechargevia USB connectors, like those on a laptop. The Instant Charger and Powerhouse Charger have a universal port for use with proprietary cords for Apple and micro-USB phones, and the Pocket Charger is designed for most major cellphones.
Two other Duracell products offer another approach. The Go Easy is an AC charger for two (enclosed) nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) AA batteries; it requires six to eight hours to charge the two. The Go Mobile charges both AA and AAA batteries, as many as six NiMH batteries in one hour, using either an AC outlet or the enclosed car adapter. But the speed comes at a cost: You have to charge these batteries in pairs, and you should stick with the enclosedones for best results. Duracell’s main competitor, Energizer, has a series of Energi To Go cellphone chargers using two disposable or rechargeable AA batteries; you buy a unit with the connector for your specific phone and can charge CDMA phones for three hours of talk time or GSM phones for nine. A hot technology is induction (or wireless) charging. Powermat is offering mats in sizes for one, two or three devices, as well as folding mats that store power for when you’re not near an outlet. Just place your devices on the mat and the next morning they’re ready to go. The drawback is that you need a special sleeve, which adds a little bulk to your cellphone.
More exciting are Powermat’s swappable batteries, promised to be available in time for summer vacations, which replace the battery in your mobile phone so you don’t need a special sleeve. One thing we no longer have to worry about is the business of 120- or 220-volt service while travelling abroad. Most chargers these days will work on either voltage; all you might need is the correct plug adapter.
And where does virtue enter the picture? Rechargeable batteries mean you don’t toss dead batteries, with heavy metals in them, into landfill. That’s a huge relief. Moreover, rechargeable batteries mean we no longer have to know the difference betweenalkaline, nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion and lithium polymer batteries. That’s just too much chemistry.
Jack Kapica is a Toronto-based technology writer.