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Home » Electronics » Universal Chargers » Portable Chargers

Portable Chargers, Micro USB Chargers

Related Guide: Batteries

Portable Chargers.

All the inexpensive universal chargers we looked at are lightweight and compact, averaging about 2 x 3� x � inches. You can toss one into a bag along with your gadgets without adding hardly any extra bulk; one user's portable chargers review on Amazon compares carrying around a MiLi Power Crystal to doubling the size of your iPhone. The IOGEAR GearPower GMP1001B is especially light, at a mere one ounce without accessories. A slight exception is the I-Up 5400, which measures only about 1.6 x 4 x 1 inches but with its high-capacity battery weighs just over five ounces. Users nonetheless consider it light and compact and note that it allows you to leave all your other chargers at home. A review on YouTube, however, suggests that a bag for the I-Up 5400's various cables and adapters would be a nice bonus. (You can find the I-Up 5400 with a hard carrying case for $55 online.) Both IOGEAR chargers come with a carrying case and the MiLi Power Crystal comes with a pouch to help keep all the connectors in one place.

Micro USB Chargers, Apple Chargers.

The wireless industry's notoriously wide array of proprietary connectors means consumers have to buy different chargers for different handsets. CNET reports the industry is taking steps toward adopting micro-USB as a universal charging standard by 2012. But to no one's surprise, Apple isn't exactly jumping on the micro-USB bandwagon, although it did fall in line when the standard was adopted in Europe. Phasing out all the old models will take a while, so in the meantime, the more connectors included with a cheap portable charger, the better. We looked for cheap portable chargers that are compatible with, at least, Apple products and the burgeoning micro-USB standard.

The I-Up 5400 and MiLi Power Crystal, the best cheap portable chargers on our list, are the only models we researched that already include an Apple tip. The I-Up 5400 also comes with a micro-USB tip and others for Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Sony PSP devices. The MiLi Power Crystal comes with six adapter tips: mini-USB, micro-USB, LG, Samsung G series, Nokia and iPhone/iPod. The two IOGEAR chargers we looked at, the GearPower GMP1001B and GearPower GMP1001W6, require consumers to use the USB cords that came with their Apple devices. While the GearPower GMP1001B comes with five connectors and the GearPower GMP1001W6 comes with six, neither includes a micro-USB, either. Given that an adapter sets you back only a few more dollars -- and many new electronic devices come with their own USB-A-to-micro-USB cable -- the IOGEAR GearPower GMP1001B is still a lot of charger for the money. But when it comes to the more expensive GMP1001W6, we're less willing to overlook this shortcoming.

The iGo Charge Anywhere, on the other hand, comes with only one tip of your choosing. That means it could get expensive to collect tips for all your devices. Tips start at $7.49 apiece, and the iGo Charge Anywhere PS00273-0001 starts at a relatively steep $35 as it is. The upside is you don't wind up paying for a bunch of tips you don't need. The company also offers a vast and growing assortment of tips, so you should always be able to find one for every new gadget. The idea is that no matter how many connectors manufacturers come up with, you'll never have to buy another charger -- only another tip.

Another cheap portable charger, the Duracell Powerhouse USB Charger, fails to meets our compatibility standard. Aside from a USB port for plugging in, say, an Apple charging cable, it has only a swinging mini-USB arm for charging devices such as older BlackBerry and Motorola phones.

by Kara Reinhardt (Google+ Profile)

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Lenmar PowerPort Slim PPU2400B Review
Duracell Powerhouse USB Charger Review
IOGEAR GearPower GMP1001W6 Review
iGo Charge Anywhere PS00273-0001 Review
IOGEAR GearPower GMP1001B Review
MiLi Power Crystal Review
I-Up 5400 Review

 

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