Battery life down again? Try XPower.

By Mario Armstrong | Wed, Feb 4, 2009 3:00 pm

How many hours of battery life does your “not-so-new anymore” laptop get you? On average I get less than 75 minutes on a fully charged battery and that’s with low power settings. I am so sick and tired of battery-life issues for my laptop that it forced me about 2 years ago to look for solutions. That pursuit bumped me into what is still today my favorite portable power generator that I absolutely don’t travel without. This little lifesaver is perfect for those of you who travel a lot or seem to always run out of power on your devices right when you need them the most. If you can relate to that, then you should def take a look at the XPower PowerSource Mobile 100

This device is a portable backup power solution that I use for my laptop & other devices. It’s not the smallest gadget to carry with you (LxWxH 5.4 x 3.3 x 1.6″) and it weighs a little over a pound but works as advertised. The PowerSource Mobile 100 has one 3 prong outlet on it and 2 USB ports for charging your items. You simply plug the PowerSource Mobile 100 into a wall outlet and charge the device overnight. Now you can take the PowerSource Mobile 100 with you and whenever your laptop starts running low on battery you can plug your laptop power cord into the Mobile 100’s 3-prong outlet and get up to an extra 90-120 minutes of battery life back into the laptop. This device has been perfect for those long cross-country flights when you are trying to get work done while on the plane or while you are sitting in the airport and can’t find an outlet. It’s like carrying your own wall outlet with you. I’ve seen cost ranges online from $45 to $79. One recent concern, it hasn’t been working with my MacBook Pro, I’m waiting to hear from Xantrex the makers of the product to troubleshoot the issue and will update the post once I hear from them. But if you are a Windows laptop carrier then this device will give you the juice when you need it most. And you’ll no longer have to sit on that dirty airport floor near the wall outlet just to get your work done anymore. My bottom line: if you travel a lot and need power on-the-go you gotta take a look that this.

Cost: $49-$79 online
Pros: Works as advertised, allows me to charge multiple devices at the same time too
Cons: Little heavy but still worth carrying, does it have an issue with MACS?

Category: Want it Wednesday, Web 2.0

Tags: powersource, xpower powersource mobile 100

This post was written by:

Mario Armstrong - who has written 23 posts on Black Web 2.0.

Mario delivers national weekly television segments for Comcast’s “Your Morning” and “Money Matters” and on WBAL-TV, a top ranked local NBC affiliate. He is a technology correspondent for National Public Radio heard on NPR’s Morning Edition and News and Notes programs. Armstrong’s oeuvre is rounded out with “Mario Armstrong’s Digital Spin” on XM radio, which he owns and distributes, and two regional technology talk shows named “The Digital Café” and “The Digital Spin”. Mario’s passion is to bridge the digital divide between the haves and the have-nots. To that end, Mario has delved into the world of social entrepreneurship by touring the nation and delivering an interactive showcase of technology and fun for youth called “Mario Armstrong’s Dream, Create, Go!.”™ The goal of this project is to morph kids from passive users of cell phones and laptops into the next generation of digital scientists and activists.

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