Solutions in Mobile Battery Technology

Today I write from Orlando Florida where I'm staying just a few miles away from Disney's Magic Kingdom. While the means for achieving such a spotless and wonderful community here area bit artificial it's hard not to be impressed with the cleanliness, greenery and forward thinking technology being employed. The electronic buzzers that tell you when it's finally your turn to hop on a ride or be seated for dinner, the finger print scanners at the entrance to each park verifying cardholder identity, the electric powered monorails that race around the parks, emitting zero CO2 or exhaust fumes as they fly by... silently.

What better way to exit reality than from a spotless, safe, quiet public transportation system? Entering into a future where everyone in the world's extended community is recognized and valued (Epcot Center), diversity and freedom still exists in non-human populations (Animal Kingdom) and leaders are recognized and appreciated for the good they have done and not the mistakes they may have made (Hall of Presidents, Magic Kingdom). This is certainly an unorthodox beginning for a story on mobile battery technology... but we're get there.

Well, it was on this endeavor, flying across the United States from San Francisco, CA to Orlando, FL, that I found myself in desperate need of solutions in mobile battery technology. Specifically, mobile battery flexibility and strength to power my plethora of devices. My airline of choice for this trip was AirTran, selected at the advice of a friend in part based on ticket price but also due to the availability of 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 only to realize last minute that AirTran does not provide power or charging stations to plug devices in! That's quite a catch there if you're going on a long flight. In my case, having a fried laptop battery from extreme overuse, this meant considering a $150 replacement.

Let's zoom out for a minute. Considering the drive to the airport, wait in the terminal, loading, flight time, plane change and second flight... there are a lot of opportunities to use mobile electronics. Not only would I have to find a solution for my laptop battery, I might also need a backup for my other devices as well. Being environmentally conscious as I am, it also started to sink in that having double batteries for all my devices would be a bit wasteful if I wasn't going to use them on a daily basis thereafter. Honestly, I work with my laptop plugged in most of the time (that's part of what killed the battery to begin with) and my cell phone battery usually lasts long enough for daily use, so a backup there would likely turn into a paper weight as well. Batteries aren't exactly cheap and since they aren't interchangeable like the old days of double A's, today this is a challenging problem that many people face.

Thankfully, last minute I was able to find a solution. While searching frantically, and 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 and DC 16-20V, and even USB power for my iPod! Right out of the box it had the Mini USB my cell phone uses and the 19 Volt circular adapter my HP laptop uses, sweet! If you aren't in a last minute pickle like I was, Energizer will even send you additional types of adapters from their website. So basically, this power brick is capable of charging anything! And 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 when fully charged to offer up to:

• 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 have been really happy with the simplicity and features of the XP18000 as it only has one button. With this single interface point you can 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 it has left) and then begins charging. It also came with a nice carry sack to keep the battery and dongles organized and from getting scratched.

Energizer is really 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 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.

Portable batteries are great, but unless you have a wall outlet to charge them or have plenty of time and sunlight for the solar version to work it's not always ideal. In addition to the Energizer energy to go product described above 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 your kinetic energy into electricity and feeds it directly into your mobile device. Pretty cool stuff, and it looks like they're also developing a foot powered laptop charger (think sewing machine or organ peddle).

In conclusion... Not only is it a lot cheaper to buy a flexible charging solution like the energy to go products from Energizer that can be used on a range of devices, it will save you space at home and in landfills from obsolete technology. Beyond that, you can even share it with friends just like our old friend the double A. 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? I can't wait!