GadgetReview

There’s more than a fair share of iPhone battery backups on the market, but PhoneSuit’s latest, the Primo micro battery pack is jumping out at me.  Unlike other micro battery packs (except Griffin’s), this one has 3 LED lights to indicate charge and can provide up to 3 hours additional talk time to your iPhone or 25 additional hours of audio for your iPod touch.  It’s certified to work with all 30-pin dock infused Apple devices and sells for $35.

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Shiver me timbers.  I don’t know if any power outage or apocalypse calls the for a $300 flashlight, but no matter, mPower Emergency Illuminator (flashlight) has plans to go on sale next March.

But it ain’t your garden variety flashlight.  Heck, it ain’t even equitable to the most advanced Maglite.  Designed by the Porsche Design Studio, each tube contains a set of batteries.  The first tube has a set of replaceable and rechargeable CR123 batteries, while the other tube contains a non-rechargeable “OnCommand Reserve Battery” that the company says has a 20-year shelf life.  There’s also a USB port for charging your portable gadgets when in a pinch.  To replace the ‘reserve battery’ you’ll need to drop $25, but that’s nothing when you consider the comfort you’ll take in knowing that you’ve got light 20 years down the road.

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I’ve been using Sanyo’s Eneloop batteries for about a year now and I’m pleased to say I have little to no qualms with the rechargeables.  The recharge time could be a bit faster, but aside from that they seem to be all that the company says they are.

And now, for folks like me, I can recharge two AA Eneloops via my laptops USB port thanks to the Sanyo Stick Booster.  The product page says that the device can charge up via the sun’s rays, but I don’t any signs of a solar panel, so I’ll leave that one to the person who orders this $34 device when it is available in December.

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If the prospect of spending north of $200 on a GPS add on (aka TomTom) for your iPhone or iPod touch has you little shaken fear not, for there is a semi-reasonable solution.  Arriving in stores  later this month is the Dual Electronics XGPS300 GPS Cradle for the iPod Touch.

For $179.99 it not only adds GPS to your iPod Touch but includes NavAtlas’ turn-by-turn navigation app, a rechargeable battery, speaker, audio out, mini USB port and windshield cradle.  The app itself is free and available at the iTunes app store.  But before all you cheap skates rush off to download it, note that the application works exclusively with Dual Electronics’ cradle.

Or you could just hope and pray that Google releases their free nav app to the iPhone and some how Apple approves it.

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Amazon has the Targus Digital TG-BGD40 Battery Grip for Nikon D40/D40x/D60 for $130 – $95.01 instant savings + free shipping = $34.99 shipped! This device provide your Nikon camera with extra power when on the go and provide greater control of your camera.

I’m stunned to be able to even discuss this, but apparently, Toshiba’s Dynario actually represents the first ever fuel-cell gadget charger.

If you take a fuel cell filled with methanol and ambient oxygen, and inject it into a charger package about the size of your palm, the combination of methanol and oxygen interacts with a lithium-ion battery inside the charger to power the battery and discharge sufficient juice to power TWO cell phones.  This means that most of your typical portable gadgets can now, thanks to Toshiba’s Dynario, be powered by a mix of air and chemicals.

Toshiba claims it takes the battery fully twenty seconds to charge after injecting the gas mix into the charger, and the costs on this beauty aren’t too steep for what you get.  The charger itself runs roughly $325, while the fuel cells themselves go for about $35 for a pack of five.  Oh, sure, it’s not exactly Rayovac Renewal battery affordable, but for a fast and easy charge that runs on thin air?  It’s not a terrible price.

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Amazon has the Cyberpower CP1500AVRLCD UPS for $229.95 – $85 instant savings + free shipping = $144.95 shipped! This backup battery is the bomb.  It has a built-in LCD display, ports for all your equipment, $500k equipment warranty and more. …Continue reading: Cyberpower CP1500AVRLCD UPS – $145 Shipped

Slap an iPhone or any standard GPS device onto a motorbike and you’ll eventually encounter a down pour of rain that will fry your precious electronic. Enter the Moto Kit.  It’s available in a variety of packages, but the most expensive one gets you a waterproof case that can be attached to the bike’s handle bars or wrist, a Bluetooth headset and a backup battery that will extend run time by as much as 10 hours.

[via Besportier]

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Amazon has the La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger for $69.95 – $29.96 instant savings + free shipping = $39.99 shipped! This charger comes with 4 AA and 4 AAA and has LCD displays for each battery being charged, plus over heating protection.

I’m a big fan of Sanyo’s Eneloop batteries.  I bought a Costco pack which includes 8 AA, 2 AAA and a bunch of adapters for those pesky larger sizes.  For the most part they work fantastically well and to this day most of them haven’t lost there charge, though sometimes I believe some to last longer than others.  The versions I own are good for up to 1000 chargers.  Yesterday, Sanyo announced a second iteration of their NiMH rechargeable batteries that are now good for up to 1,500 charges and will hold at least 70% of its charge for 3 years.

So what did we learn?  Invest in Eneloops.  You’ll totally get your money back and if you buy them from Costco you can return them once they start to fade.

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