Charge your smartphone on the go

To misquote Mark Twain, there are lies, damned lies and statistics of mobile battery life. As you do your hourly check on Facebook friends and Twitter tweets, as you open all those pixel-heavy images and videos sent via WhatsApp, your phone battery keeps draining and in next to no time you are disconnected from your world. 'I swear, it was on full charge this morning!' Scene II of this tragicomedy is a frantic search for a compatible recharge cable. Your phone takes a flat pin. Everyone around you seems to have the round one. Despair. Desolation.

Would you drive a scooter over rough roads, without strapping on a stepney? Get smart and do likewise for your smart phone. Spend a little extra and buy a compatible power bank - one that slips easily into your purse or pocket. There are hundreds of models, from Rs 500 to Rs 5000 or more. It's a problem of plenty and here are few lessons I learnt the hard way: Check the specs of your phone battery. If you have lost the papers, you can always read the printing on the battery: Then buy a power bank for a milli Ampere-hour or mAh rating that is 50 percent higher. If you phone has a 2000-mAh battery go for a 3000 mAh power bank. Power banks, especially the unbranded ones, often overstate their capacity, so have a little extra juice. 

Next, check the output voltage and current rating printed on your phone charger cable. Mostly this will be 5V and 1 A or 2A. Make sure the power bank is rated at least 5V and 1A. If you select a power bank this way, it will be a safe buy. True, you can charge a phone with a 2000 mAh battery from a 1500mAh power bank, it will take a bit longer, but no damage will be done. But beware of overdoing it. If you use a power bank rated many times your phone battery capacity - say a 1500mAh phone from a 10,000-mAh-power bank, your battery (and phone) may explode.

In an emergency, a phone power bank can be used to  power up a tablet or a digital camera, at least for an hour or two. But if like me, you are a net book user, it is better to carry a separate power bank for that, with a capacity of 10000mAh or more.

 In recent weeks a number of attractive power banks have been launched, ranging from extremely portable to chunky and power-ful. Here's a rundown of the best and brightest:

Pocket power

The retail chain Essot, has launched an ultra slim, credit card shaped Power Bank PwerHorsez2600C, which fits into any wallet. The 2600 mAh card has a retractable micro USB cable and a charge indicator - Rs 499 from online vendors. Essot has also launched another model with the same rating and price, which comes with a suction cup, so you can keep it attached to your phone body.

Another credit card sized model, is the BPR 25M  from Boat, a 1Amp featherweight at 58 grams and coming in 6 colours. Boat also has a larger capacity model BPR 88 Power Bank  with a 3400 mAh rating that has 2 USB ports to charge two phones at the same time. The current rating is also higher - 2A (Rs 3,299)

ADATA's PV120 Power Bank packs 5100mAh, does double duty: you can either use a single 2A input for faster charging or twin 1A ports to charge two phones. The leather-textured PV120 supports simultaneous charge and discharge ie it can charge itself even as it discharges into phones.( Rs 2100).

For its capacity - 7800mAh, the ‘Quantum Hi-Tech  QHMPL powerbank  is light weight at 178 grams. It's a smart device that promises five layers of protection against over load, over voltage etc.  It also doubles as mini LED torch!

If you are looking for a heavy duty alternate power source for phone or tablet , even a lite netbook -  the Toreto, Jupiter rated at 9000 mAh  may be the answer. it gives an output of 5V at  1A or 2A. And for the asking price of Rs 3599, you also get a free carry case with 2  iPhone 4 &  iPhone 5-compatible connectors.

Finally, if your family members use multiple phones, you might consider a "Family Pack" of power banks. Singapore-based Lapcare has launched just such a Power Bank family pack - a set of 3 power banks – Alpha, Beta and Gamma, with 6600 mAh, 4400mAh and 2200mAh capacities respectively. and each featuring LED flashlight ( Rs 2999/set)