Battery charger

• iPad
• iOS Devices
• iPhone
• iPhone 6
• Battery charger

Is this the neatest iPhone booster battery yet? The battery pack embedded in your belt …

There’s no shortage of power cases and external battery packs to keep your iPhone battery topped-up during a long day of heavy use, and we’ve reviewed a number of cases and external batteries.

But power cases add bulk, and battery packs are just one more thing to carry. So the company behind the Nifty MiniDrive thought why not embed the battery in something you have on you anyway – your belt.

The XOO Belt is a simple solution to an everyday problem: smartphone battery life. No new gadget to lug around but something we wear everyday anyway, redesigned with the help of some clever new technology.

It looks, feels and weighs about the same as a really nice belt… but comes with a mighty 2,100mAh of hidden charge and can charge pretty much any device.

While some of the battery power is housed inside the admittedly rather chunky buckle (DO NOT wear to Thanksgiving dinner), the XOO uses flexible batteries to tuck most of it inside the belt itself.

A micro-USB cable sits tucked into the belt, allowing you to pull it out and use with a Lightning adapter to charge your iPhone while it’s in your pocket. Nifty says the capacity is more than sufficient to fully recharge an iPhone 6 battery.

The convenience comes at a price, though: the XOO Belt is available as an Indiegogo project for a rather steep $155, and you’ll need to add the cost of a Lightning adapter to that. That makes it an absurdly pricy competition for the low-cost battery packs out there.

The project has already raised $28k of its $50k goal in the first 24 hours, so it seems guaranteed to be funded.

Via TNW

• AAPL Company
• iPad
• iPhone
• Apple News
• Android

Charge your iPhone 6/Plus twice as quick with these 2.1A USB Car/Chargers/Batteries/Surge protectors

Yesterday, it was revealed that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus could be charged faster (in some cases as fast as 2 hours to full) using a 2.1A AC charger like the one that comes with the iPad. Curiously, Apple has only included the same 5W 1A iPhone charger that it traditionally has with its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus meaning that your iPhone charge times coming from much smaller iPhones are going to go through the roof.

Not to worry! The 9to5Toys team will get you updated to 2.1A USB ports across the board with the best gear/deals we could find for a wide range of 2.1A USB needs…

 

The no fuss move is to just get a 12W Apple iPad AC adapter (above). They are at Amazon for $19 Prime shipped. You can’t go wrong appearance and reliability-wise there but perhaps your $20 can be better spent?

Anker makes a product we love called the Anker® 25W 5-Port Desktop USB Charger with PowerIQ™ Technology which sells for $15.99 Prime shipped. That will charge your iPhone 6/Plus fast but gives you 4 more USB outlets and 13 more watts for charging other devices (Tablets, Androids, Cameras, Batteries and more). If you want to step up to a 40W model, you are only at $21.99 Prime shipped. That’s only a few bucks more than Apple’s 1-port option.

Speaking of batteries…

You can also upgrade your external USB batteries with a 2.1 A version that will charge your iPhone faster. A best best is the $20 Omaker Brilliant 10000mAh(2.1Amp+2.1Amp Output) Dual USB Portable Charger External Battery Pack Power bank with 1W Flashlight. I have one of these and it works well all around and feels well made (OK the flashlight isn’t the brightest). It charges via included MicroUSB cable and has DUAL 2.1A outputs for iPhones iPads and anything else you want to throw at it (expect at least 3-4 full iPhone charges). I also favorably reviewed the Lumsing Harmonica ($20) and huge RavPower Xtreme 23000mAh which might be better options depending on your needs.

Want popular brand immediately? Head over to your local Best Buy and grab a Mophie 4000mAh Juice Pack. The Product (Red) version is half price at $39.99 shipped or for pickup.

Don’t forget your car. Typical car USB ports and chargers are only 1A. Step up to more with PowerGen 2×2.4A Charger for $8.99 Prime Shipped. That will provide plenty of juice for 2 iPhone 6s or even add a Tablet instead. Need moar portz!? We LOVE this Omaker 3-port 26W Car charger (pictured above) in all of your favorite iPhone colors (at once) for just $9.99 with free Prime shipping.

You are also going to need an AC travel charger too, right? We love Belkin’s SurgePlus dual 2.1A Travel Charger (we won’t tell if you use this at home all the time too) for $19.99 shipped. Grab a 6 outlet dual 2.1A Belkin version for $22.87 . Monoprice has a similar 3 outlet option for only $13.50 with some shipping.

However, if you just want to charge at 2.1A and get out as cheap as possible, jump on the MonoPrice 2.1A AC wall charger for $5.73 plus a few bucks for shipping.

Apple shipping a slow charger for the iPhone 6 is a mystery but solving it is easy and very inexpensive if you know where to look. Follow 9to5toys.com for all the best gear and deals.

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