Q. I have a Motorola Droid phone from Verizon and love it in all save one respect, battery life. I work in public safety and it does not have enough battery power to last the entire day, even when I start with a full charge. Because of my job it is not practical to leave it on a charger in my vehicle, or switch out the battery by removing the back plate. Do you have any suggestions? -- J.M., Greensburg, PA.
A. I am also a big fan of the Droid and have run into this problem myself on occasion. While I do not have career challenges that make car charging impractical, I do use the phone a great deal so occasionally I find myself low on power and without my wall charger or a nearby USB port. Fortunately there are solutions available that will allow you to charge your phone while keeping it on your person. You may not get a full charge but you will probably get enough extra power to make it through the day. The following suggestions will work with most any brand or type of phone so anyone finding themselves in the same situation may find these suggestions helpful.
There are a number of small self-contained chargers on the market. The most common use AA batteries and have adapters that connect to your phone. Just put the batteries in the charger, connect it to your phone and you are all set. For best results use Lithium or rechargeable NiMH batteries. A good choice is the Energi-To-Go series from Energizer. There are generic models that sell on Amazon for less than $10.
Recently I have been using a product called the PowerPort Mini, marketed by Lenmar. The PowerPort Mini is a small plastic charger a little bigger than a pack of matches. It can be used to power or charge any devices that utilize USB for power and includes adapters to charge most popular brands of phones.
The PowerPort Mini has two USB connections. One is used for charging the unit; the other connects to the USB cable of your phone, iPod, etc. for charging the device. Simply connect the PowerPort Mini to your computer via the USB charging connection and an indicator light tells you when it is fully charged. When the power on your phone or iPod runs low, simply connect it to the USB port on the PowerPort mini and it will provide backup power and charge it for you.
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I like the PowerPort Mini because it is so small, is a single piece vs. a charger with removable batteries, and is very convenient to use with its two USB connections. It is also very inexpensive, usually selling for less than $15. The caveat is the unit does not have a huge amount of reserve power due to its small size, and some users have given it middling reviews as a result. In my own case it has always provided enough power to get me through the day or to a place where I can get my phone a full charge via an AC outlet or a USB connection. You can find the PowerPort Mini online by searching under PPU-MINI.
