Portable Charging for the Droid

[96_isrunner]

I am getting ready for a backpacking trip and taking my Droid along. As of now, I seem to be out of luck as to find a charger that will properly charge my phone when away from the normal means of charging.

Has anyone used any portable batteries with their Droid? Right now, I have an APC Universal Battery 10WH and it doesn't charge my Droid at all. I am looking at the Just Mobile Gum Pro 4400mAh.

Any thoughts? Please think small. I have found that the Droids are very picky about where they get their charges from. I have a wall to usb and a car usb converter that doesn't work with mine or 3 other Moto Droids but will work with any other device that will charge via USB (iPod, GPS, other phones, ect)

Also, I have seen that the Minty Boost will charge the Droid, but their kits are backordered right now.

 

[Fadelight]

Amazon.com: Emergency AA Battery Charge Extender for the Motorola DROID - Gomadic Brand w/ TipExchange Technology: Electronics

Amazon.com: Motorola Droid AA battery Powered Emergency Cell Phone Travel Charger / Re-Charger in high grade Brushed Aluminum housing!: Electronics

Amazon.com: iPWR portable charger for Blackberry, HTC, Motorola and many more (BLUE color): Office Products

Amazon.com: iPWR 1800mAh backup battery for Motorola Droid: Electronics


Those are a few options. Then, there is always the option of buying spare batteries.

 

[Tek34]

I bought a spare (backup) battery and a the verizon/motorola Universal Battery-Only charger. It charges many types of Moto batteries including the BP6X. It comes with a detachable USB cable and a outlet plug (same components as packaged with the droid). I'm assuming it would work with different car chargers or anything else you can connect to its mini or micro-USB inputs.

 

[Kazakaz]

I use the 5000mAh IMP500 from IMaxPower. The thing lasts for ever. Last year I rode in a car from Buffalo to Boston while surfing 3G on my iPhone plugged into it. After the 7 hour ride, both the phone and the IMP500 were still on a full charge.

IPhone Battery Pack, Backup Extender 3G s, External Power IPhone

 

[96_isrunner]

I use the 5000mAh IMP500 from IMaxPower. The thing lasts for ever. Last year I rode in a car from Buffalo to Boston while surfing 3G on my iPhone plugged into it. After the 7 hour ride, both the phone and the IMP500 were still on a full charge.

IPhone Battery Pack, Backup Extender 3G s, External Power IPhone

That one looks really nice. Have you tried it with a Motorola Droid yet? That is my main concern.

 

[hipquest]

I use an iGo Juice system for all of my electronics. I added the iGo Everywhere for those times I don't have access to any power.

Amazon.com: iGo powerXtender Universal Battery Operated Charger: Cell Phones & Service

It works great with my droid (I already had the tip for my Kindle). The tip is A97.

I purchased another for my husband for camping and hiking. It is very light and kept his iPod charged for several days and still has charging power.

 

[square]

i have this thing:

Walmart.com: Black & Decker VPX AC/USB Power Source: Home Improvement

haven't tried it yet, but i hope it works for camping next year.

 

[ofrhythm]

I thought the zagg sparq looked interesting. A bit pricey though. But supposedly you can get 4 full iphone charges on it

 

[mloewen]

I have a Turbo Charger Ihave had for years but it only gives 10 percent charge with one aa battery.
I found a Lenmar Power Port Mini Charger & Battery at Tuesday Morning for 9.00 .
I figuredI would have to get an adapter since it comes with mini connectors but it will connect with the cord that came with the Droid. I tried it once and it charged up 30 percent.

 

[snapcase]

If you're going backpacking with it, what about a solar charger?

 

[96_isrunner]

If you're going backpacking with it, what about a solar charger?

I have a PowerFilm light weight solar charger. It is powerful enough that if I have the batteries in it at full charge and it is in direct sunlight then it will charge the phone, but it "flickers." It charges the phone as if it is constantly plugging in and unplugging the phone from a charger. It charges everything else fine so the plan is to get a battery that will charge the phone then use the solar panel as a way to recharge the portable battery.

I ordered an IMP500 battery that someone recommended above. I am going to see if that works. If not then I am going to try a stand alone battery charger for the moto battery as mentioned in an early post. I am just trying not to have a ton of weight in equipment that I have to carry around, but I want to use the phone for gps and geotagging pictures ect. and of course I cant completely disconnect from the online world.

I will let everyone know what works when I figure it out. In the mean time, more options are always appreciated.

 

[PetiePal]

Kensington makes a mobile charger that is chargeable by AC and USB, and then has a USB out charger. So if you used the USB cable that came with the phone you'd be all set. I bought like 50 of them for employees at work who needed their Blackberrys to last long flights from 6-12 hours. They're slim too a little bigger (longer really) than a credit card and like 2cm thick. Very good product.

However Energizer makes their Energi 2 Go line and so does Duracell. Duracell recently outranked Energizer ithium ion batteries and theirs actually last even longer than advertised in high drain devices.

I have one of the standard replaceable AA chargers I used for the longest time on my old LG Flip Chocolate and LG Voyager, but the Kensington has served me well. (They're so small I take 2-3 of them with me on trips into the city, wilderness etc).

These three Duracell models come highly rated and a few of my friends swear by them. I may order a few of these for work employees as well, if so I'll give you my impressions. I believe the Droid only comes with one charger, a USB cable that plugs into an AC outlet as well, so you may need to find another MicroUSB to USB to drag with you.

 

[PetiePal]

Reading over the specs of these devices it looks like it may come with the appropriate port or cable already!

 

[alostpacket]

If you're into the DIY thing there's an episode of systm that shows how to build 3 different kinds.


Revision3 > Systm > Episode 86: Three Portable USB Battery Packs You Can Build - Patrick Norton, cell phone battery, portable power pack

 

[lucasfinley]

Check out the Solio Hybrid Solar Chargers by Better Energy Systems. They are small, lightweight, and great quality. Check out my review of the Solio Rocsta-i
YouTube - lucasfinley's Channel

 

[idigfan]

That one looks really nice. Have you tried it with a Motorola Droid yet? That is my main concern.

I tried it for Motorola Droid and it works just fine. I remember I can charge it for at least 3 times for my iphone and 4 times for Motorola Droid. Price is very good.

 

[96_isrunner]

I tried it for Motorola Droid and it works just fine. I remember I can charge it for at least 3 times for my iphone and 4 times for Motorola Droid. Price is very good.

Thanks. I just got mine in and it works perfect. Great find and really happy with it. The combo of that and the solar charger will keep me from having to plug into the wall for as long as I want.

 

[idigfan]

Thanks. I just got mine in and it works perfect. Great find and really happy with it. The combo of that and the solar charger will keep me from having to plug into the wall for as long as I want.

I am glad to hear you like it too. By the way, where did you buy it from, amazon or imaxpower.com. I heard if you buy it from amazon, you need to get it from imaxpower seller to receive 6 month warranty.

 

[square]

i have this thing:

Walmart.com: Black & Decker VPX AC/USB Power Source: Home Improvement

haven't tried it yet, but i hope it works for camping next year.

i just dug this out to test...it works great.