There’s
an undeniable battery problem when it comes to smartphones today: My
first mobile phone would last me a week on a charge, and that was if I
played Solitaire too much. There’s obviously some
serious differences between that little monochrome screened toy and my
Samsung Galaxy Nexus,
but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s obnoxious to need to plug in
to a wall every 14 hours. Some users have battery packs they connect to
their phones, or purchase extra batteries to swap out during the day. Not everyone has that luxury,
and some of us just can’t be bothered to remember to bring one more
thing with us everyday. Something integrated — something I didn’t have
to think about — was necessary. The guys at Powerbag thought they had
what I needed.
Powerbags are normal bags with cables for all of your must-have
electronics sewn in and distributed throughout the bag. These cables
connect to a battery that has also been sewn into the bag. Each Powerbag
has an iPhone-friendly cable and a MicroUSB cable in phone-sized zipper
pockets in the bag. As long as you are content to leave your phone in
the little zipper pocket so it can charge, the bag does its job. If you
are like me and your phone never leaves your hand, you need something
else. Each Powerbag also has a USB port on the battery cradle for you to
plug whatever you want into it. I was able to charge phones, tablets,
even my wireless keyboard with no problems. For someone who travels a
lot, or someone who is not always at an outlet at the end of the day,
the Powerbag is a great idea.
Powerbags come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you’re a backpack
traditionalist, a trendy sling fan, a minimalist who just needs
something for a tablet, or a messenger bag fan like me, there’s a
Powerbag for you.
Recharging
your Powerbag is something you will need to get used to. There ares two
options: The bag itself has a power outlet hidden somewhere on it for
you to plug in to the wall, or you can remove the battery entirely and
just charge it. If you need to charge your Powerbag and your
accessories, you can plug your gadgets into the Powerbag and plug your
Powerbag into the wall. Once your gadgets are fully charged, your
Powerbag will start to charge itself.
Removing the battery is important for airplane travel as well. It
doesn’t say it anywhere in the instructions or warnings for the bag, but
TSA will hold you up for awhile if you do not separate the battery from
the bag when you go through checkpoints. The battery slides out and
snaps in very quickly, however, and nothing else needs to be done with
the bag. Not all Powerbag batteries are made equal, either. Some bags
will have a 3000MaH battery, and some will have 6000. When choosing your
bag, be sure to know which battery it comes with, or your power output
results will be less than you would expect.
The
Powerbag logo is actually the power button for the charging unit.
Holding it down on any bag will cause four lights to begin to glow. As
your use your bag more, these lights will disappear. When the bag is
charging, the light animate to reflect that it is receiving power. From
the 6000MaH battery, I was able to charge my iPhone 4, my Samsung Galaxy
Nexus, and my HTC Flyer simultaneously two times. Each time all three
devices were completely dead and powered off. If your devices are on and
in use, your results will be different. If you are just charging a
single device, you are likely to get three or four complete uses out of
the bag before it needs to be recharged.
Most Powerbags are around $100, though some models can go as high as
$170 depending on what you are looking for. Powerbags are available
through a variety of online retailers, and are expected to start hitting
shelves in brick-and-mortar stores sometime this year. As someone who
both travels a lot and abuses his electronics mercilessly, the Powerbag
is a nice addition to my arsenal. The battery doesn’t come along with
much extra weight or affect my daily use in any way. I can travel and
just as easily not use it, but I can use my devices free of any crazy
power saving techniques knowing I still have plenty of power in my bag.They are available at MyPowerBag
- By Russel Holly
