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January 03, 2013

Powerocks Looks to Get Power to Tablets and Smartphones in Need

Without electricity, without power, the electronics in our lives are little more than fancy, expensive paperweights. But when the power goes out, getting fresh power to battery-driven devices can be a challenge. That's a challenge that Powerocks is looking to take up with the coming of CES, bringing the Magic Cube and the Stone3 portable back-up power devices to exhibit at the big show.

Both the Magic Cube and the Stone3 offer one thing in common: the ability to quickly and simply plug in a device that's in need of power--generally a smaller device like a tablet or a smartphone, but also some e-readers, GPS devices and even LED lights--and quickly recharge that device's power from the power stored within the device in question. Both devices can be easily recharged via a USB cable, and both will provide a long cycle life, offering up over 500 full rechargings (by way of comparison, most other products on the market can only be charged between 50 and 300 times total) in their life cycle. From there, of course, there are plenty of differences.

The Magic Cube line, for example, comes in not only a variety of colors, but also a variety of overall power supply sizes. Users will be able to choose from 6000 mAh, 9000 mAh, or 12,000 mAh sizes. The Magic Cube also boasts a pair of built-in cables so as to make recharging comparatively easy, though from the look of it, users will need to check their phone of choice to ensure that the Magic Cube will be able to plug into it, or at least look into adapters. With the 12,000 mAh version, though, users will have plenty of power on hand, being able to fully charge an iPhone about six times, according to reports.

The Stone3, meanwhile, is geared more toward the Apple buff as it comes in basically the standard white style, and offers 8400 mAh of power, which is said to provide fully 10 extra hours of power for an iPad, or fully four full recharges on the iPhone. It's also Apple MFI-approved, making it an excellent choice for Apple devices.

Those interested in having a ready recharge source for their portables can pick them up via the Powerocks website starting immediately, as well as from Amazon and several other locations. The Magic Cubes run $74.99, $89.99 and $109.99, in ascending order based on available power, while the Stone3 sells for $99.99.

Having power for devices is what separates them from being mostly useless, so having something around like the Powerocks line of devices may prove to be just the ticket, especially when on a trip or the like. Having a shot of extra power when the iPhone goes dead on, say, a train, plane or bus ride is pretty valuable, though there are many equivalents that would likely be a bit more cost-effective. For instance, the $109.99 Magic Cube will recharge an iPhone six times. A $144 gas generator (the All Power America 1000 watt generator goes for that at Home Depot) and a gallon of gas, meanwhile, would likely charge it several more times than that.

When it comes to backup power, there are plenty of options depending on the budget available and needs required, so careful consideration of just what's needed is called for. Still, most needs should be easily met by current commercial offerings, so for those looking to plan ahead for the next big storm, options should be fairly plentiful.




Edited by Brooke Neuman


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