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What portable backup battery charger is considered the best?

D

dvader123

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 27, 2010
105
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I'm hoping to use my iphone as a bicycle gps for very long rides (+18 hours) and would like to have a backup battery to extend its use.

I would like a backup battery that is...
1. relatively small and lightweight.
2. able to give me the most additional hours to my iphone.
3. able to charge with the minimum number of hours.

I know that I won't be able to get everything I want, but what is the consensus here as the best portable backup battery for the iphone.

I will also do things like turn off wifi and talk to 2 hours to extend the battery life. Basically, the iphone will be on standby mode except for the cycling app running in the background to record my rides.

Thanks in advance.
 
Messenger Bags

I don't know if this is feasible for you but I know they make messenger bags that can charge phones. Also, using the gps on your phone will EAT its battery you might be able to get 4 hours out of a full charge, if you turn everything else off.

Hope this helps.
 
Buy an a juice pack, and then some portable small battery with solar panel. While you going it charges itself, and then when you need it you charge it.
 
New Trent 500. I love mine. Charges the phone fairly quickly and it's easy to hold both in one hand for use while charging. Nice size.
 
maliu said:
New Trent 500. I love mine. Charges the phone fairly quickly and it's easy to hold both in one hand for use while charging. Nice size.
Click to expand...

Google can be such a bitch. :)

trent500.PNG
 
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ModestMoo said:
Buy an a juice pack, and then some portable small battery with solar panel. While you going it charges itself, and then when you need it you charge it.
Click to expand...

Nope...

The little solar panels don't have enough current to do anything, don't waste your money on it.
 
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ModestMoo said:
Yes, if you buy an a made in Chinia one from Dealextreme.com which costs like 10$. Buy an a proper one and you'll get good charge.
Click to expand...

A proper one would not be very portable...

Even the $80 eton at REI won't charge your phone. With the power demands of a smart phone it would take DAYS to charge your phone off one of these tiny solar chargers.

To be able to charge in any kind of reasonable time (read < 5 hrs) you will need a LARGE panel.

http://www.greenbatteries.com/solarcharger.html

This popular solar charger at BEST only puts out 290mah in FULL sun.
 
Either the mophie juicepack air or mophie juice pack plus. You won't have to even worry about cords or a place to keep it. It's already on your phone.
 
Juicepack air. Pretty thin and excellent for a quick backup. It fits into my slim selvedge denim jeans easily, the type of jeans that are so thick and rugged that it takes years to put on. That should give you an idea how thin it is for a battery case.
 
I also recommend mophie juicepacks. I use one when I go on vacations and it's never failed me. Under good conditions it can recharge to 80% from 10%

The LED lights and USB sync/charge are nice additional features as well.
 
+1 for the Mophie juice pack plus. With the phone on a full charge and then the juice pack on a full charge, you should get enough power for the trip. I highly recommend this product if you are going to be away from a power supply for charging for an extended period.
 
This is what I use http://richardsolo.com/9000mahmobilecharger.aspx#.UED86sGPVX0

9000 mAh capacity
Charges the Phone at DC 5V/6V (same as being plugged into a wall).
Can charge any device using USB

I chose this portable battery over a Mophie juice pack because I didn't want to add bulk to the phone.

It might be a downside to some if you have to carry a battery pack and the iPhone separately.
 
I have a New Trent IMP60D and I've been really happy with it. It has two ports, one being a 2.1A output for iPad (or faster iPhone charging). The 500 that maliu mentioned above is a bit smaller & lighter, so if that's your core criteria, you might want to go that route vs the added functionality of the IMP60D. Actually, they have quite a few options. When I was looking for a replacement for my beloved (but very old) APC UPB10 I found what I wanted on the New Trent web site (http://www.newtrent.com/ ) but purchased it from Amazon.
 
I am not sure whether this will meet all your requirements or not but the portable charger for iPhone which I have been using i.e Flux portable charger offers me to charge my iPhone at least twice for sure. Keeping on the GPS continuously will drain your battery faster but it will work for approximately 3-4 hours.
 
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