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Albany_Irvin

Dear Albany, Everyone's talking about portable chargers. Do I need one?

by on ‎03-07-2013 04:56 PM


“I need some juice. Do you mind if I plug in? Do you have a spare charger? I can’t go, I’m down to one bar. My battery’s dead…AGAIN!”


How many times have you said ANY of these things? Or better yet, how often do you make statements like these?


Another key trend in consumer electronics is portable power. Makes sense…you can’t always find a 110 outlet; and if you do, do you really want to be that girl sitting on the floor at the airport hoping to catch a few minutes of charge time? Even last month, we all watched in horror as the passengers on that ill-fated cruise ship cramped around power strips hoping to get enough juice to call their loved ones. That was absolutely heart-wrenching to watch, and I can’t even begin to imagine the anxiety happening onboard.

 

Getting, and more importantly staying connected, is creating a huge need for portable power. As a society, we have become so tethered to our devices that there are statistics on anxiety associated with getting down to one bar on your cell phone. There's even an official name: battery anxiety. I know I get the heeby jeebies anytime I can’t reach the littles or hubby.


So how much power is enough? For starters, ask yourself, "How many milliamps do I need?" Most of us know how to buy power for our cordless drills, compressors, and jump starters; we speak in volts. And in case of any emergency, we look for generators in watts. For our tech toys, we need to understand (and speak in) milliamps. 

 

Now you can say goodbye to carrying a plastic baggie full of chargers with you! Portable power is customizable—you just need to know:


  • Milliamps, aka the size of the device battery

  • The quality of power distribution

  • What/how many devices can it efficiently support (without overcharging)


 

Currently, the most popular size for both efficiency and ultra portability is 2800mAh. This size will charge your cell phones and other small electronics devices.

 


The next most popular size for both power and portability is 8400 mAh. This size portable charger will be able to charge your iPads and tablets!

 



Finally, please keep in mind that portable power is all about staying connected on the go, not being your sole power source. My advice is to charge your portable power every night (or once a week if you don’t use it every day) right alongside your cell phone. That way you’ll always have that extra oomph if you need it. Think about it this way: just because you have a generator in the garage doesn’t mean that it’s fully charged and ready to weather a storm. You still need to gas it up or charge it overnight, right? Same with your portable power!

 

And yes, portable power is compatible with the latest generation “i” devices. By this I mean anything that plugs in with a lightening cord. If you need to charge this kind of device, simply plug your cord into the USB end of the portable power unit and connect the other end to your device to charge. 


If you're on the market for portable power, be sure to keep an eye out for special offers at QVC happening soon! Click here to shop our portable power selection now!

 



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