New Kensington PowerBack case is perfect for long-haul iPad use

The new Kensington PowerBack iPad case does four smart things in one – it acts as a kickstand, 4400mAh backup battery pack, speaker dock and MicroUSB sync/charge dock. At $129.99, it doesn’t exactly come cheap, but this is without a doubt one of the smartest iPad accessories released to date.

Combine the stand with a Bluetooth keyboard, and you’ll have the perfect replacement for a netbook, and enough juice to keep your iPad powered for an entire work day. It’ll soon be available for pre-order from Amazon, and you can signup to be notified when it is in stock on their product page.

Other new additions to the Fall Kensington lineup include a high power dual port wall charger, capable of charging the iPad (Wall Pack Duo Charger, $29.99), a similar power adapter for in the car (PowerBolt Duo Charger, $29.99) and an ultra compact high power single port car charger (PowerBolt Micro Car Charger $24.99). The full lineup can be found at Kensington.com.

Review: Kensington Pocket Battery for Smartphones – leave your cords at home!

In their Fall 2010 product lineup, Kensington released several new innovative products. One of the new products that got my attention is the Pocket Battery for Smartphones. Now, regular readers will no doubt know that a pocket battery pack is by no means new, but the Kensington is the first one I’ve come across that does not require any cords or adapters to use.

On the sides of the charger, you’ll find MiniUSB and MicroUSB cords, and a regular USB charge cord is on the rear.

Inside the charger is a 1200mAh battery pack, which is enough to give most smartphones one full charge when you are on the road. The battery pack itself is very compact, and weighs just 1.76 ounces.

The new Kensington Pocket Battery for Smartphones is available directly from Kensington for $39.99, but is already on sale at Amazon for just $29.99. If you have a smartphone that uses Micro or Mini USB, and regularly need a bit of a battery boost, this product could be your new best friend.

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Movie lovers best friend – Gadling reviews the Kensington travel battery pack for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Regular readers will know that I’m a huge fan of portable chargers that can keep my gadgets running way past their normal battery life. In this review, I’ll show you a neat little iPhone/iPod Touch charger that doubles as a viewing base.

The “Kensington Travel Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod touch” features a Lithium-Ion battery pack, flip stand and integrated USB connector for recharging the pack itself. Inside the pack is an 1100mAh battery – enough to double the battery capacity of most iPhone and iPod models.

The built in USB plug connects to any USB charger or USB port on your computer. A full recharge takes just over two hours and 5 LEDs’s show the charging status.

To use the pack, you simply flip open the lid, and plug it into the dock connector of your device. The top of the lid is at the perfect angle for viewing a movie, which is just as well, because you can’t change its angle. The stand has a rubber non-slip pad, which helps keep your iPod and its battery pack in place.

There really isn’t much more to add about this product – it works exactly as described, is nice and compact (a mere 2.2 ounces) and can double the run-time of your device.

At $69.99, it does not come cheap – and other products (including some from Kensington) often provide a larger battery capacity. That said – this is the first dual-purpose charger/stand I have ever reviewed, and the added bonus does help justify the price.

The good news is that most Kensington retailers have managed to shave almost $30 off the price – and stores like Amazon and buy.com are selling it for just $40.

PROS: Extremely compact, great for viewing movies
CONS: Limited 1100mAh battery capacity, MSRP is fairly high compared to other products.

You’ll find the Kensington Travel Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod touch on their site – and at most Kensington retailers.

The Gadling gift guide for the iPhone and iPod

The iPhone and iPod touch are popular. So popular in fact, that they have created an entire universe of accessories and products made to enhance their use. No other gadget in the world has this kind of assortment of great extras.

In this list, you’ll find ten products that will be well received by any iPhone or iPod Touch owner. Best of all, there is something for every budget.

Don’t forget to check out our other gift guides:

Gift guide for the lightweight traveler
Gift guide for famlily travel and kids
The top ten travel products of 2009
Macally PowerLink

The Macally PowerLink made it to the Gadling top ten travel products of 2009, which means it really does offer something special. The small device has two connectors – one for the iPod/iPhone and one USB plug for your computer. The PowerLink replaces your USB cable, but it also incorporates a Lithium-Ion backup battery pack, capable of charging your device. And to top it off, it even includes a 2GB flash drive. With this one product you can charge and sync your device and carry 2GB of your most important files.

Price: $49.99
Product page: Macally PowerLink

In Your Face Viewbase

The In Your Face Viewbase has quickly become one of my personal favorites this year. The product consists of a clamp to hold your device, and a flexible arm that can be attached to most parts of your airplane seat (or bus seat). Simply attach it to your tray table, and enjoy your movie. Of all the gadgets I carry, this is the one that gets the most attention, and every flight attendant that sees it, asks where they can order one for themselves.

Price: $24.95
Product page: In Your Face USA

Otterbox Commuter and Commuter TL case

The Otterbox Commuter and Commuter TL cases provide good looking protection for your iPhone. The Commuter case consists of two parts – one silicone jacket, and a polycarbonate shell to protect the back. The Commuter TL case ups the ante with a special honeycomb structure to cushion drops.

Price: From $29.95
Product page: Otterbox Commuter cases

Ultimate Ears MetroFi 700

The headphones included with your iPhone may be better than most standard headphones, but if you love your music, you may want to consider investing in something with a little more “oopmh”. The Ultimate Ears 700 come from the same brand that provides earphones for many of the world’s best musicians.

Yes – at just under $200, they may so be ludicrously priced, but one listen to them will show why they deserve such a pricetag.

Price: $199.99
Product page: Ultimate Ears

idox Traveler Series iPhone case/view dock

The idox hard case is as brilliant as it is simplistic. When closed, it is a really sturdy hard case for your device, and when you open it, it turns into an angled viewing base. This is of course perfect for watching a movie, or using your iPhone as an alarm clock. It provides the kind of protection you need for your iPhone or iPod touch when you pop it in your bag.

Price: From $24.95
Product page: idox traveler series cases

PowerMat

2009 was the year that finally made wireless charging available to the masses. PowerMat combines an inductive charging pad with special device cases. The iPhone and iPod Touch versions slide onto your device, and allow you to charge your device by simply placing them on top of the charging pad. Sadly, the combination of a PowerMat and iPhone/iPod Touch case will cost just under $150, which is quite steep for wireless charging. Their travel mat folds into a compact device, and packs easily.

Price: $99.95 for basic PowerMat kit
Product page: PowerMat

Kensington travel battery pack and charger for iPhone and iPod Touch

This is another of those super simple yet brilliant products. The Kensington travel battery pack and charger is a battery booster for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but the cap on this thing doubles as a stand. Plug it into your device, and sit back to watch a movie. The product features a folding USB plug for easy recharging and 5 LED lights show the charge level.

Price: $69.99
Product page: Kensington

Altec Lansing inMotion CLASSIC

Altec Lansing was one of the first companies to produce a battery powered portable speaker for the iPhone. Their original inMotion was a huge success, and they are revisiting that success with the new inMotion CLASSIC. This speaker features a cool retro look, full remote control and internal battery pack. As can be expected from Altec Lansing, the sound from this speaker is just plain fantastic. Highly recommended for some quiet entertainment in your hotel room, or massive audio at a beach party.

Price: $149.95
Product page: Altec Lansing inMotion CLASSIC.

Altec Lansing Orbit MP3

If the previous speaker doesn’t fit your bag, or you’d like something in a lower price range, then check out the Altec Lansing Orbit MP3. This small speaker is powered off three AAA batteries, and produces some mindblowing volume. Best of all, it sounds really good. Sure, you lose the bass and stereo of the larger speakers, but this is perfect for in your hotel room or anywhere else you’d like some tunes.

Price: $39.95
Product page: Altec Lansing Orbit MP3

iTunes gift card

You don’t need to go overboard when trying to find a great gift for an iPhone owner. The Apple iTunes gift card allows people to shop for music, movies and apps. And really, anyone with an iPhone will probably be buying at least one app or song a week, so a decent value gift card can go a long way. It pays to research the best deals on these cards – your local grocery store or warehouse club often sells them at a modest discount.

Price: From $15
Where to buy: Gift card retailers, Apple.com and Apple stores

Gadling’s ultimate guide to powering your gadgets on a plane

Welcome to the Gadling “ultimate inflight power guide”. After reading this guide, you’ll know everything you need to know in order to power your gadgets, and keep them going during any flight. I’ll explain what all terms mean, and give you some handy tips that will make you a real pro at inflight power.

The basics

The inflight basics really are simple – there are 4 scenarios when it comes to powering technology on a plane:

  • Powering your laptop on flights with seat power
  • Powering your laptop on flights without seat power
  • Powering your gadgets on flights with seat power
  • Powering your gadgets on flights without seat power

To make the whole thing more complicated, airlines offer seat power through four different systems:

  • EmPower
  • DC power
  • AC power
  • USB power

Finding what your airline and seat have to offer

Before you know what you’ll need to purchase in order to power your equipment, you’ll need to know what your airline has to offer.

The easiest way to find this, is to head on over to Seatguru or Seatexpert. These sites specialize in displaying very accurate seat maps, along with all the amenities you can expect in your specific seat. For those of you that fly coach, only a handful of US domestic flights will provide power in the back. Newer airlines like Virgin America understand the need for power, and offer an outlet at every seat, including Coach.

The various seat power systems

EmPower

The EmPower system was the first airline seat power product – it offers 15 volts DC through a special (EmPower) plug. In order to plug your gadget into this outlet, you’ll of course need a compatible cable/charger.

The EmPower system has a limit of 75 watts – which means it can power and charge most laptop computers and low power gadgets. EmPower is becoming a rarity, but there are still some major carriers that installed it back in the early 2000’s and have not yet upgraded their cabin to something more common.

DC Power

Airlines with DC power offer the same kind of outlet you’ll find in your car (often referred to as a cigarette lighter outlet). The advantage of these is that they offer a higher current, the disadvantage is that they only supply 12 volts. Many laptop computers need 19 volts to charge.

DC power can easily be converted into AC power, which means you can invest in a cheap converter, and use your own laptop power supply. These converters do tend to get hot, and many require some additional cooling, so don’t keep them in your bag when you use them. The disadvantage of a DC converter is of course the bulk – using one of them along with your own laptop charger makes for a rather messy pile of cables.

AC Power

AC power is the easiest of all the inflight power solutions. The plane simply offers a regular AC jack by your seat, just like you find back home. These outlets are also limited to about 75 watts – so don’t expect to be able to power your hair dryer from your seat. The AC power comes from the same kind of jack you’ll find at home or your office, and most of them accept US and European plugs.

USB Power

The addition of USB power ports on some airlines has to be in the top 5 of great things they have done for geeks. A powered USB port means you can bring your usb cable with you, and charge your device, without having to invest in special chargers or cables. USB power ports are still pretty rare, but on longhaul flights with an up to date entertainment system, you’ll have a good chance at finding one.

Laptop power on flights with seat power

Lets start with the first scenario – powering your laptop on a flight with seat power. In an ideal world, this would be really simple to accomplish, but the airlines have (as usual) decided to make things complicated by using the different systems mentioned above:

EmPower – Use a DC/Air laptop charger from your manufacturer, or a third party version
DC Power – Use a DC/Air laptop charger from your manufacturer, or a third party version
AC Power – Use your regular laptop charger
USB Power – N/A, won’t charge your laptop

For virtually every laptop brand, you’ll be able to find an affordable and compact DC/Air charger. Pay attention when you pick one – some third party chargers only power off AC, others only do AC/DC (no EmPower). If you want to be 100% certain your investment will work in any scenario, go for a good AC/DC/Air charger. Some good examples of these chargers are

The Kensignton wall/air ultra thin notebook power adapter
($129.99)

Mobility Electronics iGo everywhereMAX ($119.99)

Innergie myCube90
($99.95)

To make matters worse, because of the power restrictions on each outlet, some laptops may only charge – they can’t actually be powered. This means a dead battery will have to be recharged before you can use it again. Thankfully, most recent laptops have low power requirements, which means your charger will power and charge at the same time.


Laptop power on flights without seat power

So, you’ve booked your flight, and the seat map site show no power outlets anywhere near your seat. You’ll have to make a decision – is keeping your laptop working for the duration of the flight that important? Before you invest in any accessories, there are several things you can do to keep that machine running longer:

Turn things down or off

How long is your flight? How long will your laptop work off its battery pack? If you have a five hour flight, and your laptop only works for four hours, you’ll probably be fine – the first and last 30 minutes of the flight won’t allow you to have it turned on anyway. If the flight is longer, or your battery won’t last that long, you’ll need to start saving some power.

Turn your display brightness down as far as you can, without losing the ability to read what is on the screen. Enable as many power saving features as possible, turn off WiFi (unless you are on a WiFi enabled flight). Disable Bluetooth, and unplug any accessories you won’t be needing during the flight. A really conservative power setting can easily add about 30% more run time on your machine. Of course, the harder you make it work, the quicker it’ll burn through your battery – basic word processing will use a lot less than watching an HD Movie off your hard drive.

A second battery

If your battery and flight time really don’t go together, you’ll need to go shopping for something that will keep it working longer. The easiest solution may appear to be a second battery, but these have a couple of disadvantages you’ll need to keep in mind:

  • You’ll need to turn your computer off to do a battery swap
  • An original second battery is very expensive
  • Third party/OEM batteries can be very cheap, but also poorly built
  • Your battery investment will usually only work on this machine

You’ll also need to find a good way to carry the second battery, as they almost never come with a case or other protection method.

An external laptop battery pack

I’m a huge fan of external notebook battery packs – they are usually a bit more expensive than a second battery, but they are future proof – most of them come with power tips that can be used on a variety of brands. If you switch from one model to another, you simply swap out the power tip. Some external battery packs also include a USB charging port, and many of them come with a carrying case. Recently, we reviewed the Tekkeon myPower on Gadling, this battery pack doubles the run time of most computers, and comes with power tips that will allow it to work on almost any brand of laptop.

Powering your gadgets with seat power

Let’s assume you loaded your iPod/iPhone/Zune or other device with some cool movies for the long haul flight. You’ve already burned through 3 hours of battery power on the trip to the airport, and chances are, you’ll only make it through the first of your movies before the “low battery” message appears. There are simple and affordable ways to keep your gadgets going.

EmPower – Find a dedicated EmPower charger cord for your device or an EmPower to AC converter
DC Power – Use a regular car charger cord
AC Power – Bring your AC adapter
USB Power – Use the USB cable included with your device

Powering your gadgets without seat power

If you are not flying an airline that provided seat power, you’ll need to carry your own power source. Just like with the laptop solution, you are going to need a battery pack. Of course, for gadgets, these are much smaller than what you need for a laptop. Many of these devices have an internal battery pack sufficient for 2 or 3 full charges of your mobile device. On an iPhone or iPod, this means you’ll be able to watch movies for up to 12 or 13 hours. There are countless options on the market, and a decent quality battery pack will cost you about $40.