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Portable power options for my Epic 4G?
The headline pretty much sums it up. What are my options for something I can throw in my bag to give me some extra juice when my Epic invariably runs out of power when I'm not at the office or at home. Thanks.
If you can deal with the bulk, you can get a third party extended battery to replace the standard 1500 mAh battery. There's also a 3000 mAh and 3500 mAh varieties like the 2800 mAh one below:
www.amazon.com/Samsung-Extended-Battery-Replacemen...
www.amazon.com/Samsung-Extended-Battery-Replacemen...
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Luckily for you the Epic 4G uses a fairly standard micro USB port for charging.
I like the Eneloop series of rechargeable batteries and boosters. They are reliable and compare well to most Ni-MH based solutions. Check them out here: www.eneloop.info/products/mobile-booster/kbc-l3a.h...
Alternatively, you can buy a spare battery and keep that around whenever you go dry.
I would also recommend changing the Epic's backlight and timer settings. Sometimes just altering the backlight levels and timeout can significantly improve battery life.
I like the Eneloop series of rechargeable batteries and boosters. They are reliable and compare well to most Ni-MH based solutions. Check them out here: www.eneloop.info/products/mobile-booster/kbc-l3a.h...
Alternatively, you can buy a spare battery and keep that around whenever you go dry.
I would also recommend changing the Epic's backlight and timer settings. Sometimes just altering the backlight levels and timeout can significantly improve battery life.
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I personally like the Zaggsparq., its huge backup battery gives you many charges, and you can charge more than one device at a time. It is a bit pricey however.
www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggsparq.php
www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggsparq.php
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Powermat has several good options (which I use) and iPower unit at Verizon Wireless stores (also good).
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If you want to earn a bit of geek cred, you could always make one.
www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/
www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/
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You've got several good options, ranging in size:
Starting with taking up zero additional space, you've got PowerMax <www.volt-up.com/>, an app that can extend your battery's life 20-100%. ($2 for the full version)
Next, you've got the little keychain size, like Energizer's AP650 <www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/ap650/>. It's really just for emergencies, but supposedly gets you 90 extra minutes of talk time -- certainly worthwhile in an emergency! (around 20 bucks)
As rmcvey points out, the Zagg sparq2 -- just 3.5" square with 6000mAh power -- is super for its size. Starting this Fall, Scosche's goBAT II <www.scosche.com/consumer-tech/product/2073> will be a little bigger but $20 cheaper option, also capable of charging a tablet and smartphone at the same time. ($80)
Since you said not at home or the office, naturally that could be outdoors. And the best solar battery on the market is the Joos Orange <www.solarjoos.com/products/>. Like all solar chargers, it needs surface area (in this case, about 9" x 6") to do its thing. But unlike other solars, this one stores 5400mAh and can supposedly translate an hour in direct sunlight into *2 hours* of 3G talk time. (So, potentially less for your Epic.) It also works in the shade and underwater. ($140)
The big daddy is Energizer's XP18000 <www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/xp18000/>, which although only a little more than twice the size of the Zagg sparq2, has three times the capacity. In fact, it can charge your smartphone, portable gaming device and laptop all at the same time. So if you throw this in your bag and only use it for your Epic 4G, that'd probably get you multiple charges for days of extra talk time! (around $150 on Amazon)
P.S. I didn't mention PowerSkin cause they don't yet have one that fits your phone; but since it's a popular model, this product's just a little thicker than a regular case and it offers 1500mAh, you may want to keep an eye out for that <power-skin.com/battery-cases.html#Samsung>.
Starting with taking up zero additional space, you've got PowerMax <www.volt-up.com/>, an app that can extend your battery's life 20-100%. ($2 for the full version)
Next, you've got the little keychain size, like Energizer's AP650 <www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/ap650/>. It's really just for emergencies, but supposedly gets you 90 extra minutes of talk time -- certainly worthwhile in an emergency! (around 20 bucks)
As rmcvey points out, the Zagg sparq2 -- just 3.5" square with 6000mAh power -- is super for its size. Starting this Fall, Scosche's goBAT II <www.scosche.com/consumer-tech/product/2073> will be a little bigger but $20 cheaper option, also capable of charging a tablet and smartphone at the same time. ($80)
Since you said not at home or the office, naturally that could be outdoors. And the best solar battery on the market is the Joos Orange <www.solarjoos.com/products/>. Like all solar chargers, it needs surface area (in this case, about 9" x 6") to do its thing. But unlike other solars, this one stores 5400mAh and can supposedly translate an hour in direct sunlight into *2 hours* of 3G talk time. (So, potentially less for your Epic.) It also works in the shade and underwater. ($140)
The big daddy is Energizer's XP18000 <www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/xp18000/>, which although only a little more than twice the size of the Zagg sparq2, has three times the capacity. In fact, it can charge your smartphone, portable gaming device and laptop all at the same time. So if you throw this in your bag and only use it for your Epic 4G, that'd probably get you multiple charges for days of extra talk time! (around $150 on Amazon)
P.S. I didn't mention PowerSkin cause they don't yet have one that fits your phone; but since it's a popular model, this product's just a little thicker than a regular case and it offers 1500mAh, you may want to keep an eye out for that <power-skin.com/battery-cases.html#Samsung>.
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