Tech Time Tuesday - Portable Power
Around the holidays, we tend to gather with friends and family. As for me, I tend to use my phone and tablet more during these times. Whether I'm taking pictures with my phone or showing videos to the people I am with, power (or lack of) often catches me by surprise.
Luckily there are plenty of options for charging our devices on the go these days! However, there are some things to keep in mind when going to purchase portable power.
First,
Portable Power = Rechargeable Battery
Rechargeable batteries don't last forever and usually have a lifetime cycle count. This number varies by model. What this means is the battery will not be be dead after it has been recharged the designated amount of times.
Second,
There are a couple of power terms that you need to know when looking at different products.
mAh or milliamp hours, is the measurement for the capacity of the battery.
The higher the mAh number, the more capacity the battery has to hold power. Just as you would think, that means that you can charge bigger devices or smaller devices several times with more power. Keep in mind though that more capacity means bigger, bulkier and heavier. That can definitely be a tradeoff if you are looking for portable power that is small and easy to carry.
Amperage or amps (shown as the letter A following a number)
The amperage lets you know how fast your device will charge. The higher the number, the faster the charge rate. Most batteries these days come with a smart chip in them that allow the battery to recognize the device that is plugged in to make sure that the correct amperage flows to the device. Similar to mAh, the higher the number on the amps the faster it will charge.
Third,
You should know the purpose of the portable power that you are purchasing. Is the goal to charge your phone when you unexpectedly run out of power? Is it for long term power when you know you won't have much power? Are you wanting to charge multiple devices? These are all questions that will determine what portable power product you should purchase.
Fourth, (and maybe most important)
No portable power supply does you any good if it's not charged. Make sure that you charge your batteries before you head out. Better yet, make sure you charge after you use the battery.
Here are some recommendations for different charging scenarios.
The Anker Astro E1 is great to charge your phone a couple
of times in the event you find yourself with a nearly powerless
phone and it is so small that it can easily fit in your
pocket or purse.
The Anker PowerCore 10000 is super lightweight put holds a lot of power. It has 1 port but has high speed charging so you'll be able to charge multiple devices or have the potential to charge your phone multiple times.
The RAVPower 26800mAh pack has 3 ports for charging multiple devices at the same time. Another benefit of this charger is the speed that you can charge the battery. The 2A input allows faster charging which will get you back to having power for your devices faster.