An alternative to carrying around a
portable charger is to find yourself an iPhone case with a built-in battery.
Once again, iPhone 5 owners will need to
wait a while for new iPhone cases which support the larger 4in display and new
Lightning connector. For now a standalone portable charger with a USB port is
probably your best bet.
If you’re still using the iPhone 4/4S then
you’ve got a few battery cases at your disposal. Options include the Morphie
Juice Pack Plus, Morphie Juice Pack Air, PSDACS Power Case, Exogear Exolife and
Energy AP 1201. The SoL Hybrid Power Pack deserves a special mention because it
has a solar panel built into the back.
Pack
a punch – The iWalk Chameleon is one of many battery cases made for the iPhone
4/4S
Just like portable gadget chargers, each
battery case has a mAh rating to indicate the capacity of the batter. While a
bigger battery will last longer, perhaps more than doubling the battery life of
your iPhone, it’s also likely to be more expensive and result in a bulkier
case. A hefty battery could be overkill if you only need a slight capacity
boost to get you through the last hour of the day.
Of course you’ll also need to consider what
difficulties the case might cause with your other accessories such as chargers,
docks, cradles and car kits. It you’ll be constantly removing the case so you
can use other accessories then it might be more trouble than it’s worth.
Slip
on and go – The Kensington PowerBack for the iPad has a built-in 4400mAh
battery for up to five extra hours of power.
If you’re currently using a rugged case to
protect your iPhone, keep in mind that a case with a built-in battery might not
place as much emphasis on a rugged design. Aesthetics could also come into
play, depending on how fashion-conscious you are.
You’ll also find battery cases for the
iPad, such as the PADACS Enduro, Kensington PowerBack and ipega Life Battery
Pack. As with the new iPhone, there’s likely to be a difficult transition
period if the next iPad switches to the Lighting connector.
While wireless charging is coming to some
smartphones, iPhone users still need to rely on a case to support such things
because you can’t change the battery in an iPhone. Your options include
PowerMat and GetPowerPad.
Ask yourself whether it’s worth the
considerable expense and hassle of an iPhone battery case, simply to eliminate
the need to plug one cable into your phone each night.
Play it safe
While you’re thinking about power, it’s
also worth giving some thought to surge protectors designed to protect your
computers and other electronic gear.
Surge protectors help guard your equipment
against power spikes, perhaps caused by nearby lightning strikes or the surge
as the power returns after a blackout or brownout (when the power flickers). If
you live outside the major towns you’re more likely to have problems with
fluctuating power than city dwellers.
Peace
of mind – The Belkin PureA 7-Way surge protector has a $250,000 connected
equipment warranty, so if your device is destroyed they buy you a new one.
A surge protector is generally a special
powerboard designed to take the brunt of the spike rather than let if fry your
expensive appliances. You’ll also find single- or double-socket surge
protectors targeted at notebooks and smartphones.
If there’s a power spike a fuse burns out
or a circuit breaker trips, so the surge can’t pass through. A big spike can
permanently damage your surge protector, but cheap units might continue
powering your appliances anyway – lulling you into a false sense of security.
The best surge protectors cut the power completely in such circumstances, with
a red light to indicate that all is not well.
It’s possible to install a surge protector
in your fuse box, but some people still opt for the extra protections for
computing equipment as well as expensive home entertainment gear. Keep in mind
a surge protector is not the same as a safety switch, which protects you
against electrical shock.
When buying a surge protector pay attention
to the joules rating, the amperage rating and the response time. The amperage
rating refers to how large a spike it can stop, while the joules rating refers
to how much energy it can absorb. The response time is how quickly the surge
protector kicks in when there is a power spike. The best surge protectors kick
in within 1 nanosecond.
Many surge protectors come with a
‘connected equipment warranty’ in case your gear does get fried, but make sure
you read the fine print carefully.
The amperage rating on consumer surge protectors
starts at around 25,000 amps and goes up to around 150,000 amps. Joules ratings
range from 300 joules up to around 5,000 joules. Considering a lightning strike
reaches more than 30,000 amps and contains around 500 million joules, don’t
expect a surge protector to save the day if there’s a direct strike on your
house.
Consumer-grade surge protectors are
generally targeted at the study or the lounge room. Apart from the power lines,
spikes can sneak into your home via telephone, aerial and pay-television
cables.
Audio-visual surge protectors for the
lounge room sit between your equipment and every socket in the wall. Some
include an aerial pass-through plus coaxial, Ethernet and telephone sockets
(many pay-TV boxes connect to your telephone line).
More advanced AV surge protectors also
feature isolators which filter out electrical interference from other
appliances – interference which might show up on your television as speckles or
lines.
In the study, don’t forget to connect your
monitor printer, modem, router/s and other peripherals to the surge protector
as well. It only takes one unprotected device for a spike to sneak through and
then spread to everything else.
If you’re after an AV surge protector for
the loungeroom then Belkin should be on your shortlist. As for the study/
office, also consider APC, Crest, HPM and Jackson.
Keep
going – The APC BE700G-AZ Power-Saving Back-UPS is an eight-socket outlet that
will you 13 minutes of run time at 200 watts
Don’t interrupt
Uninterruptible Power Supplies keep your
gear running if the power goes out, but they can also protect against surges
and brownouts.
A consumer-grade UPS isn’t designed to let
you ride out a long blackout – of that’s what you’re looking for then your
money might be better spent on a backup generator.
An entry-level SP will probably only keep
your computer and monitor running for 10 minutes. That’s enough time to save
what you’re doing, put your Plan B into action and then shut down your desktop
computer or serve gracefully.
When you look at it that way, a UPS is more
about ensuring you don’t lose what you were working on rather than letting you
keep working during a long blackout.
Every UPS comes with a Voltage-Amps rating
which indicates how much gear you can connect to it and roughly how long it
will keep running after the power is cut. As a rule of thumb, you should
multiply the VA rating by .6 to find the wattage rating – so a 500VA UPS is
designed to handle roughly a 300-watt computer running for more than an hour.
You might find that a cheaper 500VA UPS
makes more sense, simply buying you time to get your affairs in order before
you run out of juice. Brands to consider include APC, Belkin, Upsonic, Eaton
and Powertech.
Most UPSs are also surge protectors, plus
their internal battery helps maintain the power if it flickers. Brownouts can
do significant damage to your electrical gear. If your power is notoriously
unreliable then a UPS could be a more practical choice than a surge protector.
Keep in mind you need to replace the battery in your UPS every few years.
