Field testing tech gadgets: finding the best chargers, storage and signal extenders.

• Author: Colby, Kent L.
• Position: TELECOM & TECHNOLOGY

In most every airport you find a clutch of well-dressed men and women huddled around a central pillar, sitting on the floor like it were a campfire on a cold night. Each is tethered to an umbilical cord flowing power back into the drained batteries of their Pads and Pods and exhausted laptops.

Travel without a Berry, an Apple or an Android appears to be the unthinkable in today's business world. But keeping these fruits fed can be a challenging task for the time-sensitive business traveler. These energy-hungry devices have become even more critical given that airlines like Alaska Airlines are making your flight time legitimate work time through onboard Wi-Fi systems, like Go-Go.

To maximize productivity, it's not uncommon to see, once passengers deplane, a mad dash for the nearest outlet to seek a recharge. To help our readers, we've field tested instant battery chargers, external secure-storage devices, and signal extenders. We field tested two products from each category, arriving at the following results.

PRODUCT: ZAGGsPARQ 2.0, MANUFACTURED BY ZAGG INC., RETAIL RANGE $99

To avoid or minimize the power-pole huddle, this little device resolves the risk of low batteries that is so significant to gadget users, especially when traveling. The ZAGGsparq is a pocket-sized power supply that the Salt Lake City-based company touts as "portable, convenient, compatible, powerful, versatile."

The ZAGGsparq is compatible with any USB-charged device and can charge up to two devices simultaneously. It's more than just an extended battery. This author watched two episodes of "Warehouse 13" on an iPad during a recent Alaska Airlines flight from Ketchikan to Denver, via Seattle. Simultaneously I wrote email on an iPhone. The ZAGGsparq kept both devices fully charged and saved me from the power-pole sprint upon landing.

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PRODUCT: DURACELL INSTANT CHARGER, MANUFACTURED BY DURACELL, RETAIL RANGE $29.99

During recent travels, the Duracell Instant Charger--barely thicker than a credit card--doubled the battery life of my iPhone and, later, that of my wife's BlackBerry. The recharge rate is fast. The product utilizes a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery to provide reserve power to devices such as an iPod, BlackBerry, cell phone and any similar device using USB-powered cords. The handy device comes with a USB-to-mini-USB cord and retails for little more than four mocha-lattes at your favorite...