How To: Keep Your Smartphone Charged During a Power Outage
When the power goes out, having the ability to contact others becomes extremely important, and your cell phone can be one of the most important tools to have. But if the power is out for an extended period of time, battery life becomes a constant problem.Without the ability to plug your phone into a port or computer, it can be pretty hard to find a reliable source of energy to charge with. There are plenty of solar-powered charging builds, but if you are trapped in a low light or rainy area, that wouldn't be of much help. Image via staticflickr.com Even after Hurricane Sandy subsided, there were still millions of people without power up and down the east coast for days, if not weeks. And while natural disasters like this do not occur very often, rolling blackouts and sporadic power outages happen all the time. It never hurts to be prepared for things like this.Imagine if Rick from The Walking Dead had a working cell phone in that first episode. He could have called his wife and saved himself a lot of grief. So, here are a few ways to keep your phone charged in case of a prolonged power outage (or, you know, the zombie apocalypse).
Battery Charging CaseThere are a bunch of cell phone cases available that can charge your battery. These cases may be a little bulky, but they do provide an extended battery life. These cases do not restrict your mobility and do not need any wires or plugs to work. Image via ismashphone.com Mophie and Power Skin are two popular case makers. Mophie claims their newest case for the Samsung Galaxy S III "will provide up to nine hours of additional talk time, up to 11 hours of additional Internet use, and up to 32 hours of audio playback."
Power Pack or Portable ChargerYour power pack does not need to be indestructible, but the added protection and waterproofing that the Mophie Juicepack Powerstation PRO provides is definitely a plus. It'll cost you 100 bucks, but when fully charged, this power pack should keep a regular smartphone running for a few days.
Check out this page to see if your device is compatible with the Mophie Juicepack.There are also tons of portable chargers that will cost you a third of the price. These portable chargers are less powerful than the power packs like the one above, but they are smaller and some are battery powered, which can be a huge advantage. Image via createchpro.com If you are in an outage area, having batteries available could keep your portable charger running for an extremely long time versus those chargers that need electricity. Of course, the obvious downside is that if you don't have any batteries on hand, these chargers are not going to be of much use.
Car ChargersIn case of an emergency, your car is always a great place to find some quick electricity. If you are trapped with no power in the house, your car is probably one of the only places that will be completely unaffected, unless you have a fully electric car, which means you're kinda screwed.But if you have a car charger for your cellular phone, or a pre-installed dock, you can charge your phone for as long as your car's battery (and gas tank) can handle. Image via just-mobile.com It is advised to keep your car running while you charge your phone, since the motor helps keep the car's battery charged. If you are in a garage or enclosed area, make sure to open a door or window to keep yourself from breathing the fumes. No point in charging your battery if you're not going to be around to use it!
Power InverterYour car battery can also be used to charge an AC powered device. You could try a converter like this one by Thor ($77), which you can place directly onto the car battery. Image via realworktrucks.com Or this one by Digital Concepts ($69.99), which you can plug directly into your cigarette lighter, allowing you to stay within the comfort of your car. Image via blogspot.com Both of these devices are great backup plans for when the lights go out.
Portable DevicesIf you have a laptop or tablet, these devices can provide a much needed battery boost as long as they are running. While they could be useful on their own, the ability to contact and be contacted on your cell phone outweighs the benefits of either of these portable devices. Image via popherald.com And the best part is that all you need is the USB cable for your cellular device. If the power's out, you won't be getting online anyway, so think of this as a good opportunity to break your Facebook habit.
Bike USB ChargerThere is no trustier personal transportation device than the bicycle. While this method of charging would be difficult in a flooded or snowed in area, a bike can be moved indoors for the singular purpose of charging your cellular device. Image via blogspot.com Bike2Power has a USB Charging Kit for $79.95. The kit comes with everything you need to turn your pedal power into electricity.
Lamp Socket AdapterThis may be a reach, but if there are any emergency lights short enough for you to reach, this lamp socket adapter could help you out. All you need to do is remove the bulb, screw in the adapter, and you can charge two AC powered devices. Image via walmartimages.com Do you have any other DIY power solutions? Let us know in the comments section.
Images by david_shankbone, GadgetSin, PopHearald, Preparedcitizenwsg, Just Mobile, Bike2Power, Walmart
Power Pack or Portable Charger. Your power pack does not need to be indestructible, but the added protection and waterproofing that the Mophie Juicepack Powerstation PRO provides is definitely a plus. It'll cost you 100 bucks, but when fully charged, this power pack should keep a regular smartphone running for a few days.
How to Keep Your Smartphone Charged During a Power Outage
With so many natural disasters of late, here are a few useful tips to keep your cell phone charged during a power outage. Be safe! 5 ways to keep your smartphone charged. 1. Charge up every laptop in your home.
5 Ways To Keep Your Smartphone Charged During A Power Outage
5 hacks to keep your smartphone charged during a power outage A smartphone can be a lifeline in a storm, but it's useless without power. Fortunately, there's never been more ways to keep a
5 hacks to keep your smartphone charged during a power outage
A smartphone can be a lifeline in a storm, but it's useless without power. Fortunately, there's never been more ways to keep a smartphone juiced up. Here are some easy ways to keep your phone in
5 ways to keep your smartphone charged during power outage
But that means you need to keep your smartphone charged and maintain that charge for as long as possible until the power turns back on. In most cases, power outages are fairly short and a cell phone or mobile device can sustain its battery life if it operates on a full charge.
5 hacks to keep your smartphone charged during a power outage
How to Keep Your Smartphone Charged During a Power Outage
— A smartphone can be a lifeline in a storm, but it's useless without power. Fortunately, there's never been more ways to keep a smartphone juiced up. 1. Charge up every laptop in your home. If
How to keep your smartphone charged and other tips during a
Oct 29, 2012 · 5 ways to keep your phone charged in a power outage. chargers are just two ways to keep your mobile phone viable during power outages. and background apps to extend smartphone battery life
5 hacks to keep your smartphone charged during a power outage Team Clark is adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. To support our work, we do make money from some links to companies and deals on our site.
5 hacks to keep your smartphone charged during a power outage
Here are some tips to keep your devices running longer during a power outage. Here are some tips to keep your devices running longer during a power outage. your smartphone charged and other
5 ways to keep your phone charged in a power outage - CNN
weather 5 Ways To Keep Your Smartphone Charged During A Power Outage Cell phones can burn through their battery life in a matter of hours.
5 hacks to keep your smartphone charged during a power outage
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