I am always talking about how important it is to have a great bag when attending conferences and such. The wrong bag is well… bad! Shoulder bags and computers and walking around all day don’t mix. You will end up with a sore shoulder. And another thing that I preach is having portable power. You do not want to be out with a dead phone and having to tether yourself to the wall every chance you get.
Well imagine having an awesome bag that can charge your gadgets too! Enter the Power Bag. I received the standard Backpack for review. This is a great, full-sized backpack with plenty of room for everything that you need to carry. It has a dedicated laptop pocket in the back that zips up securely, a huge internal pocket for holding books and other things, a dedicated tablet pocket, and several other pockets for holding portable mice and other things.
They state that the internal battery will let you charge an average smartphone in full twice. But, I have done more than that. Once charged, the bag’s battery holds a charge for quite a long time. The side pocket includes built in cords that fit micro-USB and mini-USB, and iOS or iPod devices. The battery itself has an extra USB charging port so that you can plug in your tablet or other compatible devices.
The bag charges via the external plug that you can plug into the wall whenever you have access to an outlet. Then of course throw it in the bag and carry it with you for travel. The charging port has a waterproof cover for when you need to carry the bag in the rain.
You can check the battery level on the bag by tapping the button on the front of the bag. To start the charging just hold the button in. 4 LED lights show up to show you the level, and they start blinking when charging.
Device Compatibility
Powerbag is able to charge almost any USB-powered device including most smartphones and many tablets. AC powered devices such as laptops and some tablets are not supported. The following tablets are compatible:
- Amazon Kindle™ (All generations)
- Barnes & Noble NOOK™
- Samsung Galaxy Tab™ – The Galaxy Tab requires a unique USB power source to charge at full speed. Powerbag will supply only 500mA (similar to computer charging) to your tablet. During this time, the Galaxy Tab may state that it is not charging, when in fact it really is.
- *Tablets must be charged with their own USB cable through Powerbag’s on-board USB port.
The following Apple® products are compatible:
- iPad® and iPad 2
- iPod touch® (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation)
- iPhone® 4, iPhone® 3GS, iPhone® 3G, iPhone®
- *iPod nano® and iPad® may be charged with their own USB cable through Powerbag’s on-board USB port.
Specifications
Interior dimensions of compartments in bag:
- Laptop – 18″ x 10.5″ x 1.5″
- Tablet – 8.5″ x 10″ x .5″
Exterior dimensions:
- 4.5″ x 13.5″ x 23″
- Weight: 3.1 lbs
- Dedicated tablet compartment
- Holds up to a 16″ laptop
- Battery: 3000mAh Lithium Polymer, weight: 0.2 lbs
- Input: 12VDC, 1.2A
- Micro-USB, Mini-USB Output: 5VDC, 800mA combined
- Apple Connector Output: 5VDC, 1A
- USB Output: 5VDC, 1-2.1A
What’s Included
- AC wall adapter
- On-board battery system: Removable Powerbag 3000mAh battery; built in Apple, Micro- and Mini-USB connectors and USB port
- Owner’s Manual
This bag has been awesome. I have been able to charge my gadgets wherever I am including an airplane. And I’ve charged while it was on my back. I have been able to carry a laptop, an iPad, a Motorola Xoom, a DSLR camera, a USB mouse and various cords and other accessories. Check out the pics below to see all the stuff I have jammed into the bag. It is very versatile and things can be moved around to fit more.
Although the Powerbag Backpack mentioned here has been discontinued there are many more current models available. Check out the various offerings on Amazon.
Disclosure: The Power Bag was provided to me in exchange for this review.
This is very cool. Going to be on my Xmas list for sure.