Over the last couple of years, I have owned a lot of Android smartphones right from the popular Galaxy S to the keyboard-touting Desire Z, the almighty Galaxy S2, and more recently a Galaxy Nexus. If you think I change my phone at my will, you are wrong. The reason every time I had to replace my existing phone was because I somehow managed to break it. In fact, except for the Galaxy S and the Desire Z, I have managed to break each and every mobile phone I have owned, including some Sony and Nokia handsets.

My method of killing my phone, totally unintentionally, has varied from a fall in a bucket of water to simply dropping them on a concrete floor from nearly 6 feet high. Every time I used to break my phone, I used to promise myself that whichever phone I buy next, I will use a case or cover so as to protect it from those 6 feet+ drops. I have used a lot of different cases and covers for all my handsets, but I have never used them for more than a week at a stretch. Reason? Some cases are thick, some just have a very poor in-hand feel, some are just made poorly and some don’t offer adequate protection. I have used cases and covers from a variety of companies including the official cases from Samsung, HTC and some from popular third party case makers like Case Mate.

The Case Mate Barely There case for the Galaxy S2 was really impressive, but did not offer adequate protection. So when I broke my Galaxy S2′s screen, and got a Galaxy Nexus, I was more or less sure I would be ordering a Case Mate cover for my Galaxy Nexus as well. That is until I found out about SPIGEN’s SGP Cases. I had never heard about them before, but quite a few users over at Galaxy Nexus sub-forum on XDA were raving about the SGP cases, which was more than enough for me to give them a try.

SGP cases for the Galaxy Nexus are available in two different series – Ultra Hybrid and Neo Hybrid. I got the review units of both the cases, and here is what I think about them.

Ultra Hybrid

The Ultra Hybrid line-up of cases for the Galaxy Nexus, and for other handsets, is made up of a combination of Polycarbonate resin back supported by a Poly-Urethane frame. In simple words, the frame has a hard rubber feel to it, while the back has a hard, quality plastic feel to it. Unlike quite a few cases out there, there is literally no raised ‘lip’ on the Ultra Hybrid cases for the Galaxy Nexus. The side lips are more or less in level with the phone, which is something users will start appreciating over time.

Unlike the Neo Hybrid, the Ultra Hybrid has a much better build quality and can be simply snapped on the back of a Galaxy Nexus. The Ultra Hybrid series come in some pretty bold colors, with the frame part being black in a majority of them. They don’t look as good as the Neo Hybrid though, but offer much better protection.

Pros

• Superb build quality
• No raised lip

Cons

• Does not look as sleek or flashy as the Neo Hybrid

Neo Hybrid

The Neo Hybrid series of cases for the Galaxy Nexus is made up of two different materials. The body part of the case is made of high polymer coated silicone case, while the frame is made of UV coated polycarbonate frame. Unlike quite a few other popular cases, the SGP Neo Hybrid series provides proper protection for your handsets, while adding very little thickness. In fact, the Neo Hybrid case is probably one of the slimmest cases available out there, and yet it manages to provide proper protection to the device unlike Case Mate’s Barely There series.

The in-hand feel of the cover is pretty good and its build quality is also okay, though not as good as the Ultra Hybrid series. Getting the Galaxy Nexus to fit inside the cover is not as simple as snapping it on the back of a Nexus though. Installing it requires quite an effort, and I had to separate the frame part from the silicone case and install them separately.

Ever since I started using the cover on my Galaxy Nexus, each and every friend of mine who took the phone in his hand has appreciated the build quality of the case, its in-hand feel and even asked whether the company offers similar cases for their handsets. Like the Ultra Hybrid, the Neo Hybrid cases are also available in a range of colors including some bold ones like Yellow and Red, which offer a nice contrast to the black silicone part of the case.

There is one problem with the Neo Hybrid cases for the Galaxy Nexus though. The microUSB port opening on the Neo Hybrid is not wide enough to accomodate the whole microUSB charger supplied with the Galaxy Nexus, when inserted, so the charger does not fit properly. It is a loose fit, and a little bit of jerk is enough to disconnect the charger cable from the phone.

Pros

• Looks sleek and flashy
• Will definitely make your phone stand out from the crowd

Cons

• Slightly raised lip
• Installation is a bit tough
• The microUSB cable does not connect to the phone properly

I would definitely recommend the SGP Neo Hybrid over the Ultra Hybrid just because the former looks flashy, and yet manages to provide adequate protection. However, if you want a no frill, simple looking case for your Galaxy Nexus that provides proper protection to your handset, the Ultra Hybrid case is the one you should buy. The SGP Ultra Hybrid case costs $21.99 and is available in five different colors, while the Neo Hybrid costs $24.99 and is also available in five different colors.

For our readers in India, we will soon be doing a give-away of the SGP Ultra and Neo Hybrid cases for the Galaxy Nexus, so stay tuned!

Admit it, we’ve all deleted the wrong file on our flash drives or wiped the wrong hard drive. Unfortunately, these files are unrecoverable if you don’t use an automatic backup service such as Time Machine or make backups of your flash drives. Luckily for us, Stellar Data has decided to fix this issue by making their own affordable data recovery software for Mac.

Stellar’s Mac data recovery software can recover files from almost any HFS, HFS+, HFS Wrapper or FAT based drives. This includes flash drives, hard drives and iPods in disk mode. In my review, I will show you how to recover these files and give you my thoughts on whether you should buy Stellar Phoenix for Mac. Are you using a PC? If so, check out this review.

Using Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery

Installing this recovery software is as easy as installing another Mac app: just drag and drop the app to your Applications folder. Once you’ve purchased a key for the software, you can register it via the “Registration Tool” where you can copy and paste your purchased key. At the time of this review, Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery costs $99 for a digital copy or $119 (plus shipping) for a physical copy of the software. If you’re purchasing for your school or business, prices may vary.

Once you’ve launched the app for the very first time, you may notice the only major downside to this application: the interface. The images seem a bit “cheesy” and the buttons are oversized. While the look is unappealing, it probably won’t matter to you when you’re in the midst of panicing after accidentally deleting an important essay from your flash drive.

To actually recover a drive, click on the obnoxiously large Recover Data button which is located towards the center of the welcome screen.

Since Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery can recover such a wide variety of files and media, you have to choose what you would like to recover. You can view this list which is located towards the top of the recovery window. After you’ve chosen your drive, you can choose the extent of which you would like to recover files, such as quick, advanced and deletion recovery. Keep in mind that the higher quality of the scan you run, the longer the recovery will take.

Recovering your drive is pretty simple:  after selecting your recovery options, you’ll be taken to a screen where you can actually recover your files. You’ll be prompted to select the drive that you’d like to recover (a flash drive in my case). Phoenix will now attempt to recover your files, which you can then select and choose where to export the recovered files.

If you would like to create an image of one of your drives, return to the homescreen and press the Create Image button. You can then select the drive you would like to make an image of and choose a destination for the image to be saved.

What I Think

So far, I’m a huge fan of Stellar Phoenix for Mac. It has had no trouble recovering data from a wide variety of flash drives and external hard disks. All of the deleted files were recovered without any corruption or data loss. The only problems I ran into were “jumbled” file names, which can definitely get annoying.

All in all, I think Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery is a great deal as it only costs $99 for a single user digital copy. Comparable software can costs upwards of $200 and don’t offer the extensive features of Stellar Phoenix. If you would like to buy this software for yourself, head on over to Stellar’s website for more information.

Disclosure: I would like to thank Stellar Data Recovery for sending this software over for review.

There’s a new breed of laptops coming out in the market. Inspired by the MacBook Air, this new breed, known as “Ultrabook” strives at achieving a perfect balance of weight, performance and battery life. Dell has introduced their first set of such laptops, in form of the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook. Let’s see how the Ultrabook performs.

Laptop Specifications:

• Processor: SandyBridge based Intel Core i7-2637M CPU @ 1.70GHz w/ HT, EM64T, VT-x & VT-d & AES new instructions ( CPU-z validation)
• Main memory: 2x2GB DDR3 1333 MHz Dual Channel mode
• SSD: Samsung PM830 mSATA
• Sound Card: Realtek High Definition
• Graphics Card: Intel HD 3000
• WiFi: Intel Centrino 6230 802.11 a/b/g/n plus Bluetooth
• Expansion & Misc ports: 2xUSB, 1xHeadphone out, 1xMini DisplayPort

Packaging:

The packaging was pretty good. The XPS 13 came in a laptop briefcase-esque carton, with lots of foam padding which offers shock protection. With the foam padding, the box gives you an impression that the Ultrabook is a lot bigger than it actually is.

Inside the “briefcase” was the laptop enclosed in a plastic cover placed within a cardboard box. Present in the box was the XPS 13, an envelope featuring quick start guide, warranty & registration information and safety single page quick usage guide. The XPS 13 Ultrabook also came with a Windows 7 Professional SP1 Reinstallation disk, a drivers & utilities DVD, FastAccess Face Recognition software CD and Webcam central CD.

Looks, Build Quality & Weight:

Dell seems to have taken a lot of design cues from the MacBook Air. From the shape to the thickness to the tapering edges, the XPS 13 doesn’t have any unique design to distinguish itself from the MacBook Air. Not that this is a bad thing – the XPS 13 is amazingly sleek and very, very light. Heck even if you compare it with Google’s Cr-48, the pilot ChromeBook, the XPS comes out as the winner between the two in terms of weight. The top cover has a nice matte silver finish with a Dell logo. Unlike Apple and HP machines, the logo isn’t illuminated. The XPS 13 feels very good to hold and there’s no plasticky feel anywhere on the laptop. The bottom of the laptop has a nice rubber-style texture and helps in getting a good grip on the bottom of the laptop.

Since 2008, I’ve been a dedicated iOS user and somewhat of a fanboy. While I’ve spent plenty of time playing around with Android phones such as the Droid RAZR and the HTC Desire, they’ve all been laggy and generally do not provide an enjoyable experience for me. But while Android didn’t stand out for me, another mobile OS did: Windows Phone 7.

To be honest, most Windows Phone devices have been pretty dull. The Samsung Focus, HTC Titan and others have looked like any other non-iOS. However, this completely changed when Microsoft and Nokia announced their partnership and Nokia announced their new series of Windows Phones.

In case you’re unaware, Nokia originally announced the Lumia 710 and 800 in November of 2011. The Lumia 710 featured a whole new design while the 800′s design was carried over from the MeeGo-sporting Nokia N9. The Lumia 710 would be brought to the US via T-Mobile while the Lumia 800 would stay in Europe. This did eventually change as the unlocked Lumia 800 was offered in a wallet crushing media pack, which cost $899 at Microsoft Stores in the US.

Then CES 2012 rolls around and Nokia announces two more devices: the Lumia 900 and the Lumia 610. The 610 is meant for emerging markets as the expected price of the unlocked phone is sub-$250. The Lumia 900 on the other hand, is an AT&T-exclusive high-end Windows Phone for the US market.

Priced at only $99 (on-contract) in the US, the Lumia 900 rocks a 4.3″ touchscreen and a front facing camera. The US variant of the Lumia 900 also packs LTE connectivity while the international version is running on HSPA+.

Now that I’ve run down all the specs and history of the Nokia Lumia series, I want to give you my full thoughts on the Nokia Lumia 900 after I was given one last week. While this won’t be a full review of the Lumia 900, it should give you a good idea of an iPhone user’s thoughts on the device.

My Thoughts on The Lumia 900

I’m not one to complain about specs on a mobile device. As long as the device works flawlessly for me, I’m happy. So I honestly don’t care that the Lumia 900 only features a 1.4GHz single-core processor and 512MB of RAM. Why? The phone is smooth. Scrolling is fluid, app switching is fast and to be honest, it just works. So that’s a plus.

As for Windows Phone 7.5, I don’t mind it. It’s a totally new idea, which didn’t copy iOS. The menus could be a tad more easy to use, but the “Live Tiles” are very nice and add a ton of functionality to the device. While there is a lack of applications in the Marketplace, the necessities are there and so is Angry Birds.

As for the screen, ClearBlack is nice, but not perfect. While it does allow me to see the screen better in the daylight, the pixel density is pretty horrible. With a screen resolution of only 480×800 (~217ppi), text can often seem blurry and images washed-out. I’m refreshed when I go back to my iPhone 4S’s 960×640 (~326ppi) screen.

The Lumia’s camera is also pretty bad. While Nokia claims the Lumia 900 boasts a 8-megapixel sensor, it sure doesn’t act like it. Images seem washed out and have an annoying pink spot in the middle. Please see the example below.

While the Lumia 900 won’t replace my iPhone 4S, it’s a close runner up. It’s definitely the best Windows Phone 7 device on the market and Windows Phone 7 provides a nice user experience which can’t be matched by anything except Apple’s iOS. So if for some reason you’re looking for a non-iOS device on AT&T, the Lumia 900 should be your match.

With traffic in Bangalore soaring to new heights, more and more people have started commuting to their workplaces by means of public transport. Getting around a huge city like Bangalore can be quite daunting, especially if you’re new to the city.

Bengaluru On The Go aims to be the app to help you sort out the commuting scene. Developed by Mumbai-based Angry Goo Dev, Bengaluru On The Go is their second app on public transport, the first app being Mumbai On The Go.

The opening screen of Bengaluru On The Go is very nicely laid out, with 4 icons showing the different means of transportation of which infomation can be viewed through the app.

Bus

The Bus section is probably the place where you’ll spend most of the time using the app. The app allows you to search for buses as per bus stop, bus number and also from a specific location to a target destination.

Tapping on the bus stop brings up a comprehensive list of bus stops from which you can board the bus. Thankfully, there’s also a search feature which means that you don’t have to wade through list of bus stops that you aren’t interested in. Tapping on a specific station brings up a list of all buses that pass through this. The thing which had me confused the first time when I checked this section is that all the views are linked – so tapping on a bus stop brings up a list of buses, tapping on a specific bus brings list of all stops through which the bus goes. Clicking on the bus stop again brings up a list of bus stops – see what I mean?

There’s no logical “end” to this app, which is a good and a bad thing. It’s pretty nifty if you’re going from one end of the city to other, with no direct bus linking them, so this keeps the flow of the travel. On the bad side, if you don’t notice this behavior, you’ll end up being confused as to where you are. Thankfully, there’s a “Home” button on the right hand corner of every view, so there’s a easy way to get back to the home screen.

In addition to bus stops and individual bus listings, there’s also an info button which brings up general information about BMTC bus passes and the like.

Taxi & Auto

The Taxi section is mainly informational, showing the day & night time charges and contact information of couple of Taxi services in Bangalore. The auto section, however, has a nice dial listing the distance reading and it’s corresponding day and night reading. Much like the bus section, there’s a search bar in the auto section as well so you can just enter the distance and get the fare amount.

The fares are accurate to the latest revision and sourced from Bangalore Traffic Police, Bengaluru On The Go developer Mikhail Madnani informed me when I had asked him if the fares were up-to-date.

Metro

With Namma Metro running in limited areas of Bangalore, Bengaluru On The Go also features a section dedicated to Namma Metro. With timing information, fares for token and group fares, map of the Namma Metro, Bengaluru on the Go features just about anything that you would want to know about Namma Metro.

Conclusion

While there are few apps in the App Store focusing on public transport in Bangalore, none of them have integrated all the four means as nicely as Bengaluru On The Go. Probably one of the best features of Bengaluru On The Go is that the entire app is self contained, hence it works offline even if you do not have a data connection or if your cell phone is out of network coverage. The design of the app seems a bit dull, but Angry Goo Dev are working on revamping the design of the app soon.

Bengaluru on the Go is a paid app, available for $1.99 on the App Store. While it seems relatively steep, considering the time & effort saved trying to find information from going to one place to another makes it totally worth the sticker price.

My recommendation: If you’re in Bangalore and have an iPhone or an iPod Touch, you must have this on your apps list. Grab it from the App Store.

With the recent global economic meltdown, many of us are looking for ways to stretch our dollars as far as possible. One popular method to do that is with coupons. Today coupons can come in many forms. You don’t have to be stuck carrying around a load of little clippings out of a newspaper nowadays. Grocery stores now allow you add digital coupons directly to you shopping cards. You can even get them on your Smartphone and show them to the cashier for a discount. Today I would like to show you another method of coupon and review a website that specializes in them. Coupon codes are quickly becoming a popular way to get discounts at many websites. CouponCodes4U.com is a website designed to make finding them a breeze.

www.couponcodes4u.com Main Page

The first thing I noticed right away is there is a lot of information on this site. For scattered brained folks like me it is almost too much to look at. However, it is fairly simple to navigate. When you break it down it looks like they have designed it to give you multiple avenues to getting to their content. The main page is pictured above. You will notice that they have broken down different categories with tabs across the top of the page. They have a rotating graphic right below that featuring special deals and seasonal promotions. They also feature 3 columns of categories such as “The Top 50“, “The Expiring“, and “Exclusives“.

One of the first things I noticed was that there was a Facebook connect link at the top of the page. I clicked that and got the following dialog box pictured below.

Like their Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/couponcodes4u

They appear to keep their Facebook page pretty well updated with special promotions. I think this is a great idea as I would rather see things like this in my Facebook feed than jam up my inbox. However, there is an option to sign up for their mailing list if you prefer that method.

The next thing I tried was the ”The Top 50” link at the top of their page. I was impressed with the sheer amount of stores and variety. There were many stores I hadn’t heard of. This has to bode well for the creators of CouponCodes4U.com as I am sure many stores would love new ways to get their name out there. Below, you can see a screenshot of their ”The Top 50” section.

Top 50 Page

I also noticed the section labeled  ”Exclusives“. This is where I saw a lot of businesses that I hadn’t heard of. That wasn’t necessarily a negative thing in my book as I am always looking for new ideas. These coupons are pretty much what the category states, exclusive only to CouponCodes4U.com.

They also had a seasonal category with coupons centered around Easter. They had everything from clothing, to jewelry, to chocolate coupons.

Below each Coupon is a green arrow with instructions to “Click to get this code” written on them. When you click them it opens the website that the coupon corresponds with. I found this part to be slightly confusing. For example, I clicked a Macy’s coupon code. The Macy’s website opened up in front of the CouponCodes4U.com window. It wasn’t until I clicked back on the CouponCodes4U.com window that I noticed the coupon code was revealed. See the image below.

Notice that once I navigated back to the CouponCodes4U.com website, the code “RELAX” was revealed. The way this works is when you select a product at Macy’s website, you will have the opportunity at checkout to enter a coupon code to receive a discount. So in this instance, the code “RELAX” should get me a 15% discount. You also have the chance at this point to give feedback regarding the coupon. Notice in the picture above that there is  a checkmark and an “X” in the lower left corner asking if the coupon worked. This helps the site keep things up to date as retailers can cancel coupons from time to time. You also have the ability to share these discount codes with friends.

In a nutshell CouponCodes4U.com appears to be a pretty thorough collection of online coupon codes. The design needs a little work in my opinion. For instance, there were a few broken images scattered throughout the site, but from what I can tell the coupon codes do work. I believe for those of us who use coupon codes that this site will make finding them a lot easier. It also doesn’t seem to be full of some of the annoyances that many other coupon sites have like loud pop up ads. I believe if you are a bargain shopper that this might be a great place to start.

Disclaimer: This post is a sponsored review, the views in this post are of the author and have not been endorsed by the sponsor.

At one point, I used to use screen protectors on all of my iOS devices, but then a few months after I discovered microfiber cloths and haven’t used a screen protector since then. Recently, I have been using the MOBiLe Cloth, which does a fantastic job at keeping your screen clean.

These cleaning cloths retail from www.MobileCloth.com in a variety of packages ranging from $6.99 to $95.99. Since these are cleaning cloths, using them is easy. Take one out of the package, unfold it (or leave it folded), and then wipe down your touch screen device with it.

The cloths are phenomenal. Even though these are just microfiber cloths, they have got to be the best ones I have used to date. The moment you take them out of the packaging, they are ready to use and collect no extra dust! After cleaning my screen with it, the screen felt incredible and really smooth. I’m not really sure about the technology behind this cloth, but it works like magic.

According to the company, the cloth removes up to 98% of germs with no chemicals. The MOBiLE CLOTH of course is not restricted to iOS devices only. Anything, touch or non-touch screen, can be cleaned with these cloths.

MOBiLE CLOTH has reasonable prices, and is worth the purchase without a doubt. You can find them on MC’s website here.

Currently, I’m using an Apple Wireless Keyboard to type on a daily basis, but recently the folks at Das Keyboard sent me their brand new “Model S Professional for Mac”. So, I used that one for a few weeks instead. Here’s my review:

Setup:

Within seconds after unboxing the keyboard, it was ready to use! There was no installation required. My MacBook Air, running OS X Lion, detected everything instantly. The keyboard has two USB cables, one enables the keyboard component and the other for the USB hub. Das Keyboard has two USB ports on the side, which is neat. The two ports on the right side are easy to access and great for connecting your USB devices.

Design and Look:

This particular model has a minimalistic look. In addition, it doesn’t have any extra text, icons, or stickers other than the company’s name. I really like this because it provides the user with a distraction free typing experience. Unlike my Apple Bluetooth Wireless keyboard, this keyboard weighs a lot so it won’t move around on your desk at all. Also, the keys have a glossy look to it, which makes the keyboard look extremely nice. Das Keyboard claims that each key can handle about 50 million strokes before it wears out. Another thing I really like about the keyboard is the noise it makes while typing, but it should be mentioned that it is extremely loud.

I found the keyboard easy to type on, but it did take awhile to get used to it. Also, it should be noted that they keyboard is extremely loud.

Media keys:

A particular addition that I really like in the keyboard are the media keys. They are easily accessible by pressing the “Fn” key in combination with the corresponding Function key.  On the keyboard, there are keys for lowering the volume, increasing the volume, mute, play/pause, stop, previous track, and next track. They worked great with iTunes and Rdio (a music streaming service). It should also be mentioned that no additional software was required to use these buttons, which was great.

Bottom Line:

If you can justify $130 for a keyboard, then I’d highly suggest checking this keyboard out.  You can purchase one here.

iOS’s iBooks comes with a built-in PDF viewer which does the basics, but what if the user wanted to do more than just view a PDF on their iPad? Well, now there’s a fantastic iPad app for that! The entire app is well thought out, feature rich, and offers a clean and easy to use user interface.

Let’s start off by talking about the app as just a standalone PDF reader. Since the app is feature rich, it offers much more functionality than the built-in PDF reader into iBooks. Readdle’s PDF Expert’s navigation options are much better, including a search for text feature. The search option is something iBooks lacks in my opinion. Also, the app supports chapter lists, bookmarks, and a page scroll feature at the bottom which allows you to quickly browse to a specific page, or skip pages.

The best part about this app is all the multiple notation options and the variety with which you can edit the text. You can freehand highlight text, but you also have the option of selecting block of text to highlight them the color of your choice as well. In addition, you can underline the text, strike-through, or even copy selected text.

Now you might be wondering how you can share and manage the PDFs you edit between a PC/Mac and iPad. Luckily, the app offers support for iDisk, Drobox, Google Docs, and many other services. There’s also an option to share via USB & iTunes File Sharing. Readdle also offer its own online storage, and your “free” account is included in the purchase of your app.

In the end I would suggest, if you are looking for a feature rich PDF viewer app for the iPad, then consider purchasing this app. Compared to other PDF readers at the same price, PDF Expert definitely wins hands down. You can download PDF Expert from the App Store for $9.99.

Last week, I attended CES for the first time and during my time there I was using a Powerbag backpack to keep all my devices charged. You can read what my first experience was like here. The Powerbag is a bag with a battery inside. They have got three different types (backpack, messenger, and briefcase) and a variety of models to choose from. Powerbag sent me their backpack for review, which is designed by fül. In fact, majority of their backpacks and messenger bags are designed by them.

The bag looks a bit bulky and is not the most elegant looking of backpacks, but I didn’t mind. However, from a budget perspective this backpack is definitely well priced. There are two main pockets in the back for storing your items. The largest pocket can hold up to a 16-inch laptop and it is padded on either side. The second largest pocket, has a variety of smaller pockets, a padded slot for an iPad or small tablet and a 3000 mAh battery.

In order to charge your device, you must use one of the included cables found in a small pouch located on the side of the bag. The backpack comes with a 30-pin plug for all iOS devices and two double ended micro/mini-USB plugs. Charging your devices is simple. Once you connect the device, you just press the Powerbag button, which is located on the front of the bag. Press it and it will light up to 4 LED lights hidden beneath the bag’s exterior to show how much remaining charge there is in the battery. A pretty cool feature  built into the battery is that it will automatically stop charging your devices once they are fully charged. Essentially, it is “smart” battery. In addition, the battery will automatically turn off once you remove your device, ensuring that you don’t accidentally drain it.

The battery locks into place, though it can be released by pushing on a small plastic tab. Included is an AC pack that can plug directly into the battery or connect to a port on the face of the bag for charging. Also, a USB port is built into the battery itself for other devices. During my test during CES, I was able to charge my iPhone 4S four times to full capacity from a charge of 10%, which is pretty darn good considering that the battery’s capacity is only 3000mAh.

Build quality of the Powerbag Backpack is fantastic. Zippers open and close smoothly and padding is offered on the back and suspension straps. However, it should be mentioned again that this isn’t one of the most elegant looking backpacks out there. With that being said, for the reasonable price and fantastic build quality this backpack is definitely worth a purchase if you want backup power on the go for your devices. You can purchase a Powerbag for $130 here.