Eton BoostTurbine2000

Eton has come up with a new innovative idea regarding mobile phone external battery packs. I believe the BoostTurbine is the first of its kind as it packs not only a 2000 mAh battery, but also a hand crank to recharge the battery. The battery itself is fairly large compared to competitors at  1” thick, 2.2” wide, and 5” deep, however, the feel of the battery is very premium — it has a brushed aluminum shell and a plastic interior. Although the hand crank is a great feature, its usability is mainly for emergency purposes. Continuous cranking for one minute provides enough battery for 30 seconds of talk time. Unless you are willing to let your arm fall off, don’t rely on the crank to charge the device enough to be able to use it for a long period of time. To find out how much battery the BoostTurbine has, just press the button and the LED charge indicators will let you know how much battery charge you have left. When using the battery to charge my iPhone 5 (1440 mAh) when it was dead, I was able to charge the iPhone to 85% on a full charge on the BoostTurbine. You can recharge the BoostTurbine via Micro-USB. The BoostTurbine retails for $59.99 and you can purchase it here. The BoostTurbine is great if you are looking for an emergency-situation charger, this larger-than-normal size battery charger is for you.

Here are its features:

• Backup battery pack with rechargeable 2000mAH lithium-ion battery
• Hand Turbine power generator
• Lightweight and durable aluminum body
• Fully charges most smartphones when fully charged
• Button press for LED battery charge indicator
• Micro-USB DC input for use with smart phone chargers (iPhone block, etc)

TYLT PowerPlant

The TYLT PowerPlant is a great small product packing a whopping 5200 mAh battery. I love its small size and portability. The TYLT PowerPlant is available in a 30 pin, Lightning connector, or Micro-USB option. In the Lightning version, the battery comes with a flexible lightning cable attached to the battery so you do not need to worry about carrying it with you. TYLT calls this patented technology the Flex charging arm, which is on the side of the device. To charge the PowerPlant to full capacity, it takes around 6-7 hours. When using the PowerPlant, I was able to charge my dead iPhone about 2 times on a full charge. One of the best features of the PowerPlant is that it is extremely lightweight and small. I am surprised at how small a 5200 mAh battery charger can be. I have simply been impressed by the TYLT PowerPlant and you can grab yours here for $89.99.

Here are its features:

• 5200mAh for plenty of charging power
• Built-in Flex Arm for charging on the go
• Micro USB and Apple 30-Pin versions available
• Universal USB Socket for charging any USB device
• Rapid charge or charging 2 devices simultaneously
• LED Battery level Indicator lights
• Automatic shut-off
• Will retain a single charge for up to one year

Kingston MobileLite Wireless

The MobileLite is Kingston’s latest portable wireless storage device that ships without embedded storage and instead enables users to use memory cards (SD/SDHC/SDXC and microSD with included adapter) or USB flash drives to increase storage for tablets, phones and other mobile devices. Not only that, the MobileLite acts as a external battery for mobile devices as well.

Here are all the features for the MobileLite Wireless:

• Inputs for Storage: USB and reads SD, SDHC, SDXC and microSD (with included adapter)
• Wireless Network Interface: Wi-Fi 802.11g/n with wireless security (WPA2)
• Rechargeable Battery: up to 5 hours of continuous use
• Battery: built-in Li-Polymer 1800mAh 3.7v
• Local Storage: wirelessly transfer files to and from app and hardware
• Camera Roll support: move photos from a mobile device to MobileLite Wireless
• Cable: USB to micro-USB cable included
• Guaranteed one-year warranty, free technical support
• Customizable Device Name (SSID): User selectable Wi-Fi priority list when there are multiple APN/Key available
• File Support: MobileLite Wireless can store any file type. Playback and viewing based on device support
• General file format support: MP3, WAV, m4v, mp4 (H. 264 video codec), jpg, tiff, pdf
• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C
• Storage Temperature: -10°C to 45°C
• Dimensions: 124.8mm x 59.9mm x 16.65mm
• Weight: 98g

The MobileLite is extremely portable and lightweight. I was shocked at how surprisingly light the device was. While using the built in external charger, I was able to charge my dead iPhone little over 40%. This also in a way acts as an emergency charger as its main function is to be used as a wireless SD card/USB card reader. You connect to the MobileLite via an app which is downloaded from the App store or Play store depending on your device. The MobileLite retails for $59.99 and you can purchase it here.