I have 2x New Trent 5000mAh battery chargers and 2x Philips SCE4430/05 battery chargers.

The New Trent 5000mAh will give me about 40% extra power on my iPad (which already enjoys a massive 10 hours battery power), or I can get around 3x full charges of my iPhone 4.

The Philips SCE4430/05 which I have previously mentioned here and here, will give me around 1x full charge of an iPhone 4. I actually do have 3x of these and not 2, although one requires a reverse adapter (which I conveniently forget) so I tend to not use this one so much.

So in essence if I take all 4x battery chargers out I can get a massive 8x full charges of an iPhone. For the most part I never usually have to charge up my iPad as I’m never away for more than 10 hours from an electrical plug socket, but it’s nice to know I have some power on tap if I need it.

For the most part if I’m only out and about for a few hours then I’ll take my Philips SCE4430/05 with me, or if I’m out for 5+ hours then I’ll carry around the New Trent 5000mAh charger. I usually keep at least one in the car, so if I need to I can run back to the car to get additional juice.

The great thing I like about both of these battery chargers is they have a standard USB socket on them, so pretty much any USB cable you have for a phone or gadget will connect into these devices. So no real need for these attachment bits that some chargers come with (and that you always happen to lose).

The Philips SCE4430/05 is great for putting into your shirt pocket with ease, the New Trent will fit into your shirt pocket and it’s the same dimensions of the iPhone 4, but a little heavier, so although you could put your iPhone 4 and New Trent charger into the same shirt pocket, it does look a bit on the bulky side.

I always pack at least one of the New Trent 5000mAh battery chargers into a bag I carry whether it’s an iPad bag, gadget bag or even my Messenger (over the shoulder) Laptop bag or rucksack. That way I always have something available fully charged and ready to go just in case I ever need it. You’d be surprised the amount of times you think, I’m running low on battery or I need a quick top-up. Whether it’s in meetings where you might have plug sockets but no charger plug lead to being out in the street, out on location photographing something or at a friends house.

The concept behind Refresh is simple – it is essentially a small box containing half a dozen cables and connectors, with a rubberised tray sat on top. Just sit your devices on the tray and plug in the connectors and you have a clutter-free method of charging multiple mobile gadgets simultaneously.

The connectors include a couple for iPhone and iPod, plus mini and micro USB (the latter is set to become the standard connector for mobile phones) and a couple of female USB ports that you can use to attach any additional proprietary connectors as well.

Refresh is suitable for office or home and the compact size of the unit, which measures 241 x 142 x 45mm, makes it a good fit on most desks.

Additional connectors can be purchased for the following devices/phones

- EX-001 Nokia
- EX-002 Sony Ericsson
- EX-003 LG
- EX-004 Samsung
- EX-005 Samsung
- EX-006 Mini USB
- EX-007 Micro USB
- EX-008 Various Brands
- EX-009 Palm
- EX-010 Sony PSP
- EX-011 Nintendo DS Lite
- EX-012 Motorola

The price is a little on the high side especially seeing that you have to manually plug in charger cables, it’s not like the PowerMat for instance.

Price: £75 / $89 from BlueLounge.com

The IvySkin Zappak battery back-up solution with dual-USB technology claims to be the world’s lightest and smallest with longest battery life and a built-in USB cable.

You can now charge your iPhone and iPod both at the same time when they run out of battery while you’re out on the go with dual-charging circuits.

The IvySkin Zappak battery pack is available from IvySkin for $49.99.

The Kensington 4 port USB Charger plug will charge everything you need in one place. It comes with 4x USB ports to allow you to plug in your USB cables for various devices and you can then charge these Mobile Devices direct to the plug rather than using your computer or separate charger plugs.  You can charge iPhone’s, iPod’s, mobile phones, SmartPhones, Windows Phones, PDAs and much more.

Features

• Four USB power ports charge up to four mobile devices simultaneously
• Eliminates the need for multiple wall chargers and outlets
• Small, compact design doesn’t block extra wall outlets
• Use with your existing USB charging cable

Technical specifications

• Input: 100-240 VAC, 50-60Hz, 0.3A max.
• Output: 1-4 x USB, 5 VDC, 2.0A max.
• Dimensions (LxWxD): 3.03 x 2.17 x 1.14 in./7.7 x 5.5 x 2.9 cm
• Weight: 4.23 oz./120.0 g

This is a little pricey at £22.95 but if you were to purchase separate chargers then it’s certainly a cheaper option, and by buying one also gives you a good travel charger (as it comes with UK and EU plugs).  Also buy buying one also frees up your other chargers to use them in other rooms

Ah but the iPhone doesn’t do HD I hear you say? Well there’s a lot of chatter online that the iPhone will support 720P, and if it will without any frame dropping in a future update from Apple then there would indeed be no reason for anyone to switch from an iPhone or iPod Touch to a Zune HD.

And again Microsoft, the big killer for me to not switch to the Zune is…..Wait for it…..”The Zune is currently only on sale in the US, at $220 (£133) for the 16 GB version and $290 (£175) for 32 GB. Early indications are that Microsoft have no plans to sell the Zune HD outside the US.”