Here’s an interesting idea: what if the part of the cell phone charger that you plug into the wall doubled as a rechargeable extended battery pack? That’s actually coming in November with the $50 PowerPak from Technocel.
The charger is compatible with any USB cable (device-specific tips are also included for good measure) and provides about 3 hours of additional talk time depending on your cell phone model. It’ll be sold through Technocel.com as well as Sprint stores starting November 1st.
The $50 price tag seems a bit steep but true road warriors and frequent travelers might not need much convincing since it’d mean one less peripheral to take up precious bag space.
PowerPak Portable Battery and Home Charger in One Unit [Technocel.com]
Philips have had this idea years ago (e.g. Philips SCM7880), with a universal charger that has a USB oulet and various adapters for phones etc….
Brilliant!
The inclusion of the rechargeable battery in the AC adapter is an obvious good idea, and I’m actually surprised that this appears to be the first actual combination AC adapter/external battery pack for cellphones.
Up to now those were two separate items.
Hopefully it will have some really good specs and will handle the newer power-hungry units that are coming out (1000ma load @5v instead of just 500ma).