I’m terrified my phone will run out of battery power at a crucial moment, like checking onto a flight with an electronic boarding pass, sending an essential email or capturing that all-important photograph.
We are so reliant on our mobile phones and tablets these days, we feel lost without them. So it can be extremely frustrating when your phone suddenly runs out of battery power when you are nowhere near a power point.
Despite following (most of) the tips for conserving my phone battery, it still doesn’t last a full day when I am out and about, so I need a portable power pack.
I have tried several different models, from charging cases to power sticks, but none are as convenient, powerful, easy to use and hold as my Plox 6000 Powerbox for iPhone (also available for Android devices), which was recommended to me by a colleague.
The Plox Powerbox is a similar size and shape to my iPhone, so I can easily hold it behind my phone when I’m charging, while still using the phone. I love the built-in charging cable (lightening cable for iPhone 5 and above or micro-USB for Android) so there are no long messy cables. (Unfortunately, I have an iPhone 4S, so I have to run a 30-pin cable from the USB port on the Powerbox. Consequently, I can’t wait until I get a new phone!)
Apart from the sleek size and shape, it is the power output that sets this charger apart. According to the manufacturer the 6000aAh battery will re-charge a mobile phone four times. I haven’t tested it to its limit, but I have charged my phone three times and the Powerbox still indicated enough power for one more charge.
That’s another feature I like, the simple charge indicator lights – four lights, activated by vibration, indicate enough power to charge your phone four times, three lights will charge it three times etc, so you can easily see if you have enough power to charge a friend’s device as well as your own.
If you are charging your phone or tablet with the built-in cable, you can use the USB port to charge a second device simultaneously, whether another phone or tablet. I’ve even read a review by an adventurer who used it to charge his GoPro. Now that is cool!
What is even more cool is Plox is an Australian-based developer of innovative tech accessories, so purchases are supporting an Aussie company.
I paid A$69.99 for my Plox Powerbox 6000 at Tech2Go at Sydney Airport, but they are also available at Harvey Norman and Dick Smith stores as well as direct from Plox for A$77 including postage. They come in a range of colours, plus sophisticated black and white.
There is a smaller version, but it only charges a phone three times, so much better to go with the 6000 I think.
Here’s to never running out of phone power again.
Disclosure: I paid for the product in this review and my opinions are honest and unbiased.
