Heading down to SXSW this year? Consider taking a travel power pack

Heading down to SXSW this year? Long flights? Worried about not finding a power outlet when your devices are running on low?

I have to recommend the Energizer XP8000 Rechargeable Power Pack. (And no, I'm just an energizer customer, not shilling for Energizer. But in the interest of full disclosure, Microsoft and Energizer have been close, as with Microsoft managing some of the company's IT operations as noted here.)

On a recent trip, the compact unit – about the size of a deck of cards provided many extra hours of use of our phones, PDAs and small electronics as well as one netbooks. It has several power outputs and comes with a bundle of extra connector tips for popular mobile phones and mini netbook PCs.

I was able to lave several power bricks behind at home on our last trip and travel much lighter (important when you're also arranging a vacation's worth of family electronics). I used the USB charger/sync cables for our mobile phones and game units in place of the wall warts that we have for them, and left the power supply for our HP netbook.

I found the Energizer XP8000 available at Amazon if you can't find it locally: on sale, you can find this available for in the $70 range.

For smaller uses, there's also a mini Energizer XP4001 that runs about half as much on sale (many if the office supply stores carry it – I found it locally on sale for under $40). 

 

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