Short Version: Equal parts backup battery and iPhone dock, Dexim’s $55 P-Flip Foldable Power Dock serves as a nice daily desk accessory and then easily pulls double duty as a portable travelling companion.

Review:

Guess what? There are a million iPhone accessories. And it’s not easy to stand out in the crowd if you’re a company that makes iPhone accessories. But sometimes the best course is to offer a simple solution that addresses more than one need for the common iPhone owner and to offer your product at a decent price.

In this case, Dexim has merged a small, unobtrusive iPhone dock with a portable backup battery. Exciting? Not really, but it doesn’t have to be because, at $55, you’re getting two accessories in one for close to the price of most competing backup battery offerings.

The dock is compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS and all generations of the iPod touch. The battery pack is 2000mAh, which is about 1.5 times the capacity of the iPhone’s internal battery. So you get about a charge and a half out of the dock. A full recharge of my iPhone 3GS took about an hour and a half.

Dexim rates the product as capable of 8 hours talk time, 15 hours of video, 15 hours of gaming, or 60 hours of music. I can confirm the 60 hours of music claim. I set my phone into airplane mode (turns off all data connections) and let it play music nonstop starting Friday night after work and noticed it had finally petered out on Monday morning. Side note: going without a phone for an entire weekend is weird for most of Saturday morning but becomes pretty nice after a while.

The dock folds down to a very manageable travel size and can itself be recharged with a mini-USB cable. If you dock your phone into it while it’s charging, you’re able to synch with iTunes and all that good stuff.

The main downside is that if you use any sort of protective case, you’ll have to remove it in order to charge up your battery on the go. That’s the tradeoff for having a backup battery that doubles as a dock, though. Also, the $55 price tag may seem a bit high at first glance but considering that a fair amount of competing backup batteries go for around $50, the added bonus of the docking feature makes for a pretty decent purchase.

P-Flip Foldable Power Dock [Dexim]

Available starting today, the $30 Energizer Flat Panel 2X Charging System from Performance Designed Products is an inexpensive, quick, and cool way to juice up your Wii remotes.

This is an inductive charging system, meaning that there’s no need to connect any cables between the charging pad and the remote. The NiMH battery packs slips into the Wii controller and is magnetized to align with the special charging area on the black pad you see in the above photo. It’s a pretty neat feature that’ll add some much needed class to “Busch Light and Wii Bowling Thursdays” that have made your house so popular. Simply place the remote on the pad and watch it wiggle itself into the correct charging position like magic.

At $30, the system is priced somewhere between entry-level and mid-range Wii remote chargers. I can tell you that without knowing the price beforehand, I assumed it’d retail for around $50 when I first took it out of the box and set it up. So there’s that.

The battery packs are nice and hefty and hold a charge for about as long as standard AA batteries – maybe a tad shorter, but not enough to make a huge difference. If you’ve been using regular batteries for your Wii remotes up until now, you’ll definitely appreciate switching to rechargeable ones over the long haul. And with inductive charging, you’re able to charge your Wii remotes without taking off any protective silicone jackets or the MotionPlus add-on.

Recharge time is refreshingly quick for an induction system. Inductive charging generally takes a bit longer than standard recharging systems but the technology has come a long way over the past year or so. The system I reviewed in March took a long time to recharge – overnight, pretty much — whereas this Energizer system takes about 3-4 hours.

Overall, I can safely recommend this product as a solid purchase for anyone looking for an attractive induction charger at a decent price. Battery life is good, recharge time is quick, and the magnetized charging surface adds a touch of cool for good measure.

Energizer Flat Panel 2X Charging System [PDP.com]

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]

Whoever manipulated the above image to make this humongous iPhone battery pack look relatively manageable ought to be given a raise. Conversely, whoever wrote “It is not bulky either as it just extends a little at the bottom” in the product description ought to immediately undergo a workplace evaluation. If it happens to be the same person who handled both the photo and the product description, then God help us all.

Here’s what the $60 “Super Charger for iPhone” looks like from the side.

It’s big, I tell you. Big.

That’s okay, though, let’s just call a spade a spade and move on. There are, believe it or not, people out there who would be willing to put up with this brick in order to squeeze almost 2.5 full recharge cycles out of it.

Product Page [USBfever.com]

This thing’s slim, I tell you. Slim. At just one centimeter thick, the “Ultra Slim (Card Type) Emergency Charger for iPod / iPhone” over at USB Fever might find its way into a few pockets when it’s released on August 23rd.

The 1200mAh battery pack recharges via a standard mini-USB cable and powers any iPod device when you’re running low on juice. There’s an on/off switch for some reason, along with an LED indicator to let you know that everything’s on the up-and-up.

Available for pre-order now and shipping around August 23rd.

Ultra Slim (Card Type) Emergency Charger for iPod / iPhone [USB Fever]

Wow, this is impressive. An enterprising young man from a faraway land (the Czech Republic!) took an ordinary battery from an MSI Wind netbook and added a USB charging port to it. He can charge his iPhone twice over and the battery still works like normal in his MSI Wind. They should add USB charging ports to all batteries!

You’d have to be relatively comfortable with mod-trickery to attempt this one but if you’ve got the brass ones, here’s the how-to video that’s found over on the guy’s site.

Just a word of warning, the video’s underscored by four and a half minutes of European techno-funk break beats, as the guy who put this together is apparently a DJ.

USB iPhone battery pack from MSI Wind battery [Prusadjs.cz via Gizmodo]

(the AA batteries are on backorder, sorry)

BargainOutfitters.com via dealnews

I actually bought and use a very similar battery from Seidio for my T-Mobile G1 and I’ve been pretty happy with it (full review here). The Pre version is rated at 1350mAh and promises about 20% extra capacity, which should add a nice bump to your daily usage.

Innocell 1350 Extended Life Battery [Seidio via SlashGear]

Usually with cool technologies like this, it’s all being done in one guy’s lab at University of BFE, and they’ve got to get grants, talk with manufacturers, and all that stuff. But apparently this Fraunhofer team is on the fast track and they’re planning on getting these batteries rolled out, so to speak, before 2010.

The applications are limited because one battery can only produce 1.5V, but a series of those could easily power an e-book without a backlight or be woven into clothing for whatever purpose you can think of. And maybe mobile phones will get even thinner!

Nasa (NASA?) has selected Saft, a French company, to develop its next-generation batteries, batteries that will power tomorrow’s rovers, landers, and all sorts of space-related goodies. The batteries will be of the Lithium-ion type, like the kind inside your cellphone (but not the new MacBook Pro—that’s a Lithium-ion polymer.)

What can we expect from these fancy, new, French-developed batteries? Apparently they’ll be lighter, which, as you can imagine, is important when sending items into space.

Be sure to tweet Peter Ha with your funniest battery-related stories!

Buy this pack and you’ll never have to worry ’bout AAAs ever again. Well, at least not until these expire in 2013. Shipping is $5.99 and the pack is expected to ship out on May 14.

GaveyardMall.com via DealNews

Short Version: Wii owners sick of replacing controller batteries every couple weeks will find Tekno Creations’ $35 InCharge contact-less charging system to be a good investment.

Long Version:

The InCharge system is a handsome charging dock for your Nintendo Wii remotes. It uses “contactless induction charging” which is a fancy way of saying “holy crap, these things are being charged wirelessly.” It’s really a sight to behold at first. I tossed a Wii remote in the first charging slot and a spare InCharge battery in the second slot and they both charged up without having to click into place since there are no metal contacts.

The battery packs are about half as heavy as standard AA batteries, so you’ll have to adjust to a much lighter-feeling Wii remote. I found that I much prefer using a lighter remote – even without the wrist strap, I don’t feel like I might impale the remote into my TV anymore.

The greatest change I’ve noticed has been how long the batteries last now. In the past, it’s felt like I’d been going through AAs like crazy, whereas now I’m into my second week with these InCharge batteries and I’ve only lost a single bar when I check my controller’s battery status in the Wii menu. Paying $35 for a battery charging station may seem steep at first but if you play Wii a lot and you use regular batteries, calculate how quickly it’d take you to sink $35 into AAs and you’ll have an idea of soon you’d recoup the cost of the InCharge.

Since the system uses induction charging – more of a trickle than a flood – charging times are a bit slower than standard contact charging systems. The tradeoff is that you can charge your Wii remote inside its sleeve and with the wrist strap on. Plus, it looks cool and your friends will ooh and ahh with wonderment.

One thing I found odd was that, while charging, the system illuminates a very bright, solid blue light. When the battery pack is fully charged, this turns into a very bright, blinking blue light. I had the InCharge set up on the opposite end of my apartment and one night I woke up wondering what in the hell was going on outside – I thought it was the siren from a cop car. Turns out, the battery was fully charged and the blue light was blinking brightly enough for me to see across two full rooms, around a corner, and down a hallway.

Still, the pros far outweigh the cons and if you find yourself going through batteries left and right, the InCharge system is a good pickup that’ll pay for itself over time.

Pros:

• Induction charging lets you drop a sleeved Wii remote in the cradle or simply a second battery pack itself, no Wii remote needed
• Much lighter than regular AA batteries
• Lasts 20+ hours on a single charge

Cons:

• Charging takes a while – set it up overnight to be on the safe side
• Blinking blue light that signifies a full charge makes you think aliens landed next to your Wii

Product Page [TeknoCreations.com]

The Energi to Go uses two AA batteries and can fully charge an iPhone in 2 to 3 hours – it’ll charge any dockable iPod as well, with smaller iPods getting multiple charges before the batteries need to be replaced.

Energizer Energi To Go Battery Charger [Buy.com via dealnews]

Short Version: Simple to operate and offering the ability to pop out the rechargeable AAA batteries for use in other devices, the Pocket Booster pulls double duty as life support for your phone and battery charger for items like remote controls and Bluetooth mice.

Product Features (from the manufacturer):

• Provides up to 3 hours of extended talk time on your mobile/smart phone, and can be used while you talk*
• Use the included mini-USB charging cable to charge your RIM Blackberry
• Plug the USB connector into any USB power port, like the one on your notebook, to recharge the AAA batteries
• Remove the rechargeable AAA batteries inside and use them to power your wireless mouse or other device
• Slim, lightweight design that fits in your pocket
• Use with any USB cable to recharge mobile devices like your cell phone, MP3 player and more
• *Extended talk time is dependent on the age and condition of the rechargeable batteries in the unit and the age, condition, and size of the battery in the mobile device. Amount of extended talk time will vary depending on these factors.
• MSRP of $24.99

Review:

The Pocket Booster is an interesting device. While there are plenty of on-the-go battery extenders available for mobile phones, Kensington turns the idea on its head somewhat by offering a solution that uses standard and rechargeable AAA batteries.

While you may not get the same amount of juice from two AAAs that you would from an extender with a built-in lithium ion battery, you get far more convenience. You can use the included rechargeable NiMH batteries, you can buy regular AAA batteries, or you can pop the batteries out of the charger and use them in other devices.

So it’s a good solution for people with a lot of different gadgets, at least some of which take AAA batteries. Let’s say you’re in an airport and your cell phone’s dying but you can’t find an outlet anywhere – just buy some AAA batteries from the nearest gift shop and you’re set.

You can charge just about any small device that’s capable of being charged via USB. I tested the Pocket Booster on my T-Mobile G1, my iPod Touch, my Sansa Clip, and a few other USB-powered gadgets I have lying around my office, and everything worked just fine.

The included NiMH rechargeables are pretty weak. Although they each say 800mAh on them, the most I was able to coax out of them was about a half-charge on my iPod Touch, which supposedly has a battery around 1000mAh. So two 800mAh batteries were only ever able to charge it up about halfway (I tried two different sets – four batteries total). You’re best off using a good pair of rechargeable batteries right away.

When I used regular Duracell AAA batteries and a set of Energizer 900mAh rechargeables, everything improved somewhat, although I still didn’t get anywhere near the actual capacities of whichever batteries I used. My T-Mobile G1, for instance, has a special 1400mAh extended battery and using the two Energizer 900mAh batteries that have only been drained and charged a few times, my phone’s battery only increased by 20 percent. It charged quickly, though, only taking about 15-20 minutes.

What’s not as quick is the amount of time it takes to recharge the batteries when connecting the Pocket Booster to your computer’s USB port – it takes at least a few hours. I’d generally plug it in overnight and then grab it in the morning. That’s what makes being able to use off-the-shelf batteries in a pinch so nice.

Also, you’ll need to bring at least one mini-USB cable along with you and any proprietary cables (like the iPod cable) to charge your other devices, so it’s not really a pocketable solution. It definitely works in a travel bag or even a purse, though.

Conclusion:

All in all, I’d say the Pocket Booster is a good solution for people with regular cell phones and other small electronic devices but perhaps not quite as good for people with smartphones. The ability to use standard batteries and to be able to pop the rechargeable ones out for use in battery-operated devices is the real draw, while the relatively low power bump that the Pocket Booster provides tends to hold it back a bit.

Rechargeable Pocket Booster for Mobile Phones [Kensington.com]

Boston-Power announced earlier today that their line of Sonata Li-ion batteries for 18 HP notebooks (about 70 percent of HP’s lineup) are now available directly from HP. The Sonata batteries were the first to be Nordic Ecolabeled, which essentially means they pollute less by being high capacity, longer lasting and having the “smallest amounts of detrimental heavy metals.” They boast a three lifespan and HP is backing that up by providing a three-year warranty, which is the only one in the market to do so. It’s available now for the following models for $150.

HP Pavilion dv4, dv5, dv6; HP HDX 16; HP G50, G60, G61, G70, G71; Compaq Presario CQ40, CQ45, CQ50, CQ60, CQ61, CQ70, CQ71

HP

Knut Karlsen asked this very question, and actually did something about it. Currently just a proof of concept, Knut was able to wrap a flexible solar cell around a battery, and wire it in such a way that it would charge itself. Right now, all it gets is a trickle, but with the proper redesign (incorporating circuitry and the like) it could be incredibly useful. I know for a fact that would be a product that I would want to buy.

[via OhGizmo]

Make sure to say “I love you, honey” after hanging up on your wife today. You know why? Because if what happened to a man in China happens to you, you’ll be as dead as Colin Quinn’s career. The man was killed last week—I guess news trickles slowly out of China—when his cellphone exploded, breaking an artery in his neck. Ouch.

This is a sad occasion, of course, but one that can prove to be educational. The Dos and Don’ts of cellphone use, if you will.

• Don’t use third-party (or used) batteries, since they’re not always “up to code,” as it were. If your battery dies, best to get one directly from Motorola or Nokia or whomever and not some guy on Canal Street.

• Limit your time on the cellphone. Whether or not cellphones cause cancer still hasn’t been proven one way or another—won’t we be in for a surprise in a few years if it does!—but, mathematically, the longer you keep the blasted device next to your head, the better the chances you have of it blowing out your skull.

• Don’t microwave your phone. I had a friend who once microwaved an iPod in an elaborate scheme to defraud Best Buy out of hundreds of dollars but ended up looking like a complete idiot instead. He wasn’t hurt, unfortunately, but it stands to reason: it’s not exactly a good idea to microwave your cellphone.

• And other common sense. (Common sense isn’t common at all!)

Photo-thing: Flickr

Get right outta town, I would actually use this. It’s a somewhat unassuming wristband (looks like it’s made of rubber) that serves double duty as an emergency charger for your small devices.

The innards include a 1500mAh lithium ion battery, which should be good for a full charge of most phones or portable media devices. You juice up the wristband via USB (takes about five hours) and then wear it out on the town, plugging your phone in once its battery starts to wane.

The $25 wristband includes seven connector tips for use with most popular phones and devices, and a stretchy USB cord lets you use your gadget while it’s charging. Therein lies the rub, though: you have to carry a USB cable around with you. That’s kind of a deal breaker right there.

It’d be cool if they could fashion the cable into the wristband somehow. Since I have a G1, which charges via mini-USB, I’d probably carry around a little mini-USB to mini-USB plug in my pocket in an attempt to sidestep carrying around a cable everywhere.

Wrist Band Portable Battery [Chinavasion.com via The Raw Feed]

Is that a phone in your pocket or are you just happy to see me not have to recharge your G1 every two hours?

Devin was just squawking about the lackluster battery life on his G1 when I reminded him of this extended battery I’d purchased for mine. While on Seidio’s site, I just noticed that they’re now selling a fantastic brick of a $55 extended battery with a replacement cover.

You’ll recall from my review of the 1400mAh extended battery that the standard G1 battery has an 1150mAh capacity. This new monster has a 2600mAh capacity! If you can’t make it through an entire day with this thing, you’ve got much bigger problems.

Granted, you probably won’t be able to sit down with your phone in your pocket for fear that you’ll tear your pants right off, but maybe you could hold your phone in a gun holster under your armpit. You’d look cool and you’d finally enjoy acceptable G1 battery life. It’s a win-win!

Innocell 2600 Extended Life Battery [Seidio.com]

The battery itself is a smidge larger than the standard 1150mAh battery that ships with the G1 and the 1200mAh battery that I picked up on eBay about a month ago. It should be, too, as it’s gotta cram all that extra juice in there somewhere.

It fits in the phone just fine, though, no replacement shell necessary. Surprisingly, I could feel the weight difference at first, but it’s not noticeable enough to really drastically change anything over the long haul. I don’t notice it any more.

Without having actual equipment to test the battery, I can tell you that it definitely “feels” like I’m going substantially longer between charges. I still need to recharge every night if I’ve been using the phone moderately throughout the day, but watching the meter go from green to yellow to red is a much slower process now. There’s no more looking at my phone at noon and seeing that the battery’s halfway gone already. With moderate usage – checking e-mail every hour or so, some light web surfing, a voice call or two — the phone tends to make it until the early evening before getting into the more-than-half-gone range.

As for heavy usage, I sat out on the beach while on vacation and cranked the brightness all the way up so I could see the screen (I usually have the brightness turned all the way down). I then read short articles on the web, using the data connection about every five to ten minutes for a little over three hours before the battery meter went red at around 15%. Now this was using EDGE data, not 3G, as my location wasn’t covered with high speed data, so keep that in mind. I’ve also used the new battery in 3G areas and it still seems to be a noticeable improvement, although I haven’t tried any aggressive drain tests yet.

All in all, the phone feels more “normal” now. Usage seems to be more in line with battery life, whereas before I’d be like, “What? The battery’s dying already? I’ve barely used the thing today.” Now it’s like, “Ah, I just surfed the web for a half hour straight and played a game of Baseball Superstars and the battery’s a little over a fourth gone — seems about right.”

I’m still conditioning the battery and I haven’t put the phone through any vigorous video or audio testing yet, so I’ll update this post if I come by any more interesting data. As it stands now, though, the $43 seems to have been a worthwhile investment.

Innocell 1400mAh Extended Life Battery [Seidio.com]

Previous Coverage: Extended 1400mAh G1 battery now shipping