I’m writing from Orlando, Florida, just a few miles from Disney’s Magic Kingdom. While the means for achieving such a spotless and wonderful community here are a bit artificial, it’s hard not to be impressed with the cleanliness, greenery, and forward-thinking technology being employed. Electronic buzzers tell you when it’s your turn to hop on a ride or be seated for dinner, finger print scanners at the park entrances verify your identity, and the electric-powered monorails race around, emitting zero CO2 and no exhaust fumes as they fly by silently.
What better way to exit reality than on a spotless, safe, quiet public transportation system? Here you can glimpse a future where virtually everyone’s extended community is recognized and valued (Epcot Center), diversity and freedom still exist in non-human populations (Animal Kingdom), and leaders are recognized and appreciated for the good they have done — not the mistakes they have made (Hall of Presidents, Magic Kingdom). And this is certainly an unorthodox beginning for a story on mobile battery technology… but we’re getting there.
It was on this adventure, flying across the USA from San Francisco, CA, to Orlando, FL, that I found myself in desperate need of a new solution to the challenge of mobile battery technology. Specifically: more mobile battery flexibility and strength to power my plethora of devices. My airline of choice was AirTran, selected in part due to the ticket price but also for the in-flight wireless internet (which costs between $5 and $15). Everything was looking up — I had my smart phone, iPod and laptop ready to go — when I realized at the last minute that AirTran does not provide power or charging stations to charge devices while in flight! That’s quite a catch if you’re going on a long flight. In my case, with a laptop battery fried from extreme overuse, it meant considering a $150 replacement battery.
Not only did I have to find a solution for my laptop battery, I had to consider a backup for my other devices as well. With the drive to the airport, the wait in the terminal, loading, flight time, plane change and second flight… there was a lot of time and opportunity to use my mobile electronics. And being the environmentally-conscious person that I am, it occurred to me that having these double batteries would be a bit wasteful, particularly if I wasn’t going to use them on a daily basis afterwards. I work with my laptop plugged in most of the time (that’s partly what killed the battery to begin with) and my cell phone battery usually lasts long enough for daily use, so backups would likely turn into paperweights before long. Batteries aren’t exactly cheap, and since they aren’t interchangeable (remember the old days of double As?), this is a problem for many people.
At the last minute, I found a solution. While searching unsuccessfully at Fry’s Electronics in Palo Alto for a replacement laptop battery, I stumbled upon a multiple device battery pack. This particular model, made by Energizer, is called Energi to Go and that’s exactly what it is: A battery pack with multiple dongles, designed to interface with a wide range of devices with output ranging from DC 9-12V to DC 16-20V, and even USB power for my iPod! It had the Mini USB my Blackberry cell phone uses and the 19 Volt circular adapter my HP laptop uses — sweet! Energizer can even send you additional adapters from their website selection. Basically, this power brick is capable of charging anything. As a bonus, you can share it with your sister, Mom, cousin, girlfriend, etc., when they’re in need of portable energy. Try doing that with your model-specific laptop battery!
The Energizer Energi to Go XP 18000 (pictured above) provides enough power fully charged to offer:
- 42 hours of extra smart phone use
- 24 hours of digital video camera use
- 8 hours of netbook use
- 6 hours of laptop use
I’m happy with the simplicity and features of the XP18000 as well, as it has only one button to either check the battery charge status or tell the device to start sharing energy. Just plug your phone, laptop or iPod in, and press the button… that’s it! The device lights up for a moment (telling you how much energy is left) and then begins charging. It even comes with a nice carry-bag to keep the battery and dongles organized and protected from scratches.
Energizer is doing some cool stuff with battery technology these days, from portable solar chargers to miniature energy-to-go solutions that take AA batteries, to the larger brick-style XP18000 that I picked up. There’s even a hybrid that offers 2000 mAh of battery storage with built in fold-out solar panels to keep you off the grid. It’s a lot like the uber-popular Solio or HYmini, but with more juice and larger solar arrays. This little wonder is called the SP2000 and is pictured below.
I also grabbed a YoGen human powered charging device for my trip. With this gadget, you just plug your phone in and start pulling on a lever attached to a string with some spinning gears. It automatically converts kinetic energy into electricity and feeds it directly into your mobile device. Pretty cool stuff — and it seems they’re also developing a foot-powered laptop charger for the market (think sewing machine or organ peddle).
In conclusion: Not only do you save a lot of money when you buy a flexible charging solution like the Energi to Go XP 18000, you also save space at home and you save landfills from being clogged with obsolete technology. You can even share it with friends and colleagues, just like user-friendly AA batteries. Maybe we’re finally entering into a science fiction future where all devices are powered from the same open-source energy crystals or power cells? If so, I can hardly wait!
