Alright CB folks, I need your help. I am going on an 8 day excursion that will be filled with down time and boredom. Naturally I will be using my torch to keep myself entertained. But there will be no outlets for the full 8 days. So what are my options? Do I need to just buy 5 more batteries? Or is there a portable charging station that runs off of batteries or solar power?
Thanks for the input folks!
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There are portable battery chargers made for cell phones and ipods that run off either something like AA's or they are rechargeable themselves (abd have a much bigger battery than you phone, so you mmight get multiple charges off of it). I think they make both options. Some just have a standard USB plug so you can plug your phone into that. I'd look into those
Edit: that ventev powercell that someone mentioned is like what I'm talking about. Thanks for posting that!
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I published a review of the Solio on CrackBerry last September. It works, but it recharges very slowly and may not fully recharge in one day. I can't be sure, because I've never stayed with it for a full day to reposition it every 30 minutes or so to keep it in full sun. In theory, you could used the Solio to recharge the Ventev. I have both, but haven't tried it, again because the Solio requires frequent relocating to keep it properly oriented to the sun.
I think a solar charger would be kind of unreliable, what if it's not sunny, and it probably won't charge very fast. That Ventev PowerCell that Adam linked looks really cool, but way too expensive to me. Not sure if that would be able to last your full 8 days either, I'm sure you'll go through a few battery cycles on your Torch.
I picked up something like this Amazon.com: Emergency Mobile Cell Phone Charger 5 LED Flashlight AA,3112: Sports & Outdoors a while back at Target, it was an open box thing so I got it for like $8, mine doesn't have a flashlight though. I've only used it a couple times, but it works pretty well for quick charges and making the battery last longer. With that you just go buy a big pack of AA's and should be good for your time needed. They're easy to find and buy if needed too (unless you're going away from civilization).
Personally, I would just go on Amazon and buy like 5-6 batteries for your Torch. Not sure how much they are for the Torch, but I've got OEM DX-1's for my Bold for like $4 a piece. Charge them all up and you should be good to go, and not have to worry about dealing with an external charger that may or may not work right for you.
I would like to thank all of you for your input, I love this community. Its the only place I can go and know that there is someone else who has probably thought of it first.
I'll probably go with the ventev or the emergency charger ridesno159 linked to. the solar chargers seem to be a little sketchy, and i can't rely on the sun in germany. there will be absolutely no power or computers out there so usb won't work.
As much as i would like to buy 5 more batteries, the cheapest i can find them is $15 a pop, plus shipping....
could always check ebay for batteries or post up in the market place here, there are maybe some members willing to part with an extra battery or two for 5 bucks
A sure-fire way of extending your battery life is upgrading your O.S. to a newer version - unless you're with Bell, your OS is likely a few versions behind. My carrier's OS was 6.0.0.128, which gave me a day and a half of battery life - I upgrade it to 6.0.0.526 by using a leaked OS, and I can now go three days without charging.
Last edited by CuddlyCombine; 04-28-11 at 10:32 AM.
