Portable Power Round-up

For a while now I've been trying out various portable charging solutions, certainly not all. I can't afford to by every one on the market and many companies couldn't be reached for testing units, despite my best efforts

There are as many variations of portable charging units as there are devices these days, which is a sharp contrast from just a year ago. There are so many solutions and price points  you could spend many hours comparing specs and prices which is the best. Hopefully I can help save you some time and narrow down your choices.

Solar

Great for those that are away from power outlets for extended periods of time but most I found had a high cost to value. Yes they can charge almost anywhere but I suspect a vast majority of people aren't so remote they can't charge even one of the many battery solutions.

Battery

Proporta - By far one of the most popular solutions among bloggers and power users alike. The Standard Proporta battery pack is a 3200mAh unit. Many units I found claimed they could charge a mobile device 2-3 times, this is one of the few units that actually delivers on that promise. I did receive a micro (1700mAh) from Proporta however I'm sad to report I had to return because it produced a high pitched and annoying sound while charging the N95. To make sure I wasn't hearing things I confirmed my finding with Amir from Phone Rush, who I knew had this unit. He too stated his unit had the issue. I was told by Proporta 1) they could not hear the noise ad 2) the N95 wasn't supported by the micro. To Proporta's credit they were concerned I received a defective unit despite the fact they could not hear it from the units in house furthermore, I can't understand how a device can't be supported by a simple Li-ON battery back but there it is. At the time of this writing when looking at Proporta's power solutions the micro is listed under NSeries but noted as not compatible with several devices including the N95 8GB but not other N95 models. If an engineer among us can give an adequate explanation how a battery pack can not be compatible, I'd love to hear it. The standard unit is $49.99 and the micro is now $49.99 also. I recommend spending the extra $10 for standard and world travel kit, which includes a USB wall charger with interchangeable world outlets and a USB auto charger. Whichever unit you buy it includes a retractable USB cable and a variety of tips to charge a wide variety of devices. I don't care for the tip Proporta uses, as it sticks out quite a but (more than 1") and I feel like I'm going to break it off if not careful, I certainly have been able to bend the tip quite easily. Proporta has frequent specials for free shipping to the USA and very cheap flat rate shipping around the world.

Disclosure: I was only provided a Proporta Micro for trial. I purchased the standard unit, as I did the Black & Decker and Energizer units, with my own funds.

Energi To Go - Made and sold by Energizer this unit is among the most widely available and versatile units. Unlike the Proporta that charges via USB or others via a wall outlet the Energi To Go uses a pair of AA batteries. I've been able to use everything from standard alkalies to disposable Li-ON to NiMH and Li-ON rechargeables. The amount of the charge from each will vary depending on the mAh rating of the chosen battery. Disposable Li-ON gave a better charge than alkaline but at a cost that is significantly higher cost. You will have to carry more standard alkaline batteries but for roughly the same cost as a 4-pack of disposable Li-ON batteries a large package can be purchased giving a better charge over the long run. The most environmentally friendly and responsible solution are rechargeable batteries; again the higher the mAh rating the more bang for your buck. A pair of AA 2400 or 2800mAh batteries can be found at many retail outlets for under $20, less with a coupon frequently found in the Sunday paper. The Energi To Go units are sold with individual and multiple tips depend which you may find. The very short cable (too short in my opinion) is a 3.5mm plug on one side with the appropriate power tip on the other. When I first bought this unit I was only able to find it with the standard but larger Nokia power tip, therefore I had to use a CA-100 adapter for the N95 or N8x0. I have since started to see it being sold with the smaller Nokia tips. Energi To Go is approximately half the size of the standard unit.

Black & Decker - I spotted this unit on Woot one day on 2-for-Tuesday. For $10.99 on Buy.com the unit will charge via USB and standard US AC power outlet, meaning you can use regular wall chargers instead of a USB charging cable. This unit only charges using the included wall adapter and is more than twice the size of Proporta's standard unit while providing only 1200mAh. B&D does not include any other accessories but is also significantly cheaper and larger than Proporta.

Miscellaneous - I found a large variety of units at Fry's, Bestbuy, Wal-Mart, Target, Radio Shack and pretty much everywhere else that sells mobile electronics. Most were in the $30 range for a 1100-1500mAh battery and accessories and were no-name or re-branded store units. None of these units could charge the N95-3s battery beyond 1 charge or charge faster than the N95-3 consumed while using 3G.

Bottom Line

• Solar - provides a charge from anywhere there is sunlight but is quite slow and tend to be expensive.
• Proporta - Good charging value, small compact unit, keeps charge for several weeks without recharging, includes large selection of power tips, USB charging and recharging, optional world travel kit. Only unit capable of charging faster than N95-3 could use power while connected via 3G. Even faster charging via wall or auto adapter.
• Energi To Go - Cheap, readily available, uses AA batteries, longer charging time, small and portable but requires extra batteries carried along, proprietary short cable, higher long term cost.
• Black & Decker - Bulky, cheap, AC and USB charging. Wall outlet charging only. Less power than considerably smaller units.

Every unit has pluses and minuses however, Proporta's standard (white) charging unit gave me the best results for my money with its small size and included USB cables and power tips. The world travel kit is a must, even if you aren't a globe trotter. The wall charger and auto adapter are easily worth the extra money, the included and interchangeable outlet adapters the wall charger is a bonus. On a lesser stated side note in the manual, a device can be charged directly from the USB wall and auto adapters. If you don't need the power of the Proporta or infrequently need mobile charging, Energizer's Energi To Go is a worthy second place for flexibility of standard AA batteries.

Check back soon for a simple way to clean up that power cable nightmare, both at home and on the road that includes the Proporta power solution.

Comments

[snoyt]

* Concerning the mini. Voltage converters (from LiIon to 5.5 V) generally generate highfrequency voltage noise. This could interfere with the N95 loadingvoltage detection.

* Steve from AAS and I seperately did charging tests with the Proporta, my tests give the minimum number of times you can charge a N95 classic instead of Proporta's 'best' results: http://snoyt.vox.com/library/post/review-of-the-proporta-travel-survival-kit-and-the-n95.html

* There are serveral charger on the market that can charge from windpower (while walking, cycling and very useless car). Sailors might enjoy this gadget too!