One of my biggest fears in life is a dead phone. It may sound dramatic, but I always picture the worst-case scenario: there’s a big emergency and either I can’t call someone or someone can’t call me. Or on a much smaller scale, I’m heading to a meeting spot, like a restaurant or the movie theater, and plans change but I have no way of knowing about it. And in all honesty, I’m nervous to be on the subway or in a waiting room with a dead phone—what would I do to pass the time? And because I live in New York City and don’t have a vehicle, I don’t have the option of charging my phone in my car while I’m running errands.
That’s why I keep three portable chargers with me at all times. Yes, three. My beloved iPhone 6 runs out of juice fairly quickly—namely because of my high-usage of apps. I often find myself at 20 percent battery and far from home or an outlet. So I always come prepared with the chargers and a charging cable. I used to bring my actual wall charger with me and plug it in wherever I could—a restaurant after asking really nicely, in a bookstore or Starbucks, or even the Verizon store for a quick charge (they’re very accommodating there, by the way). But, now with my portable chargers, I don’t have to be that girl who’s waiting for her phone to charge at Starbucks. Plus, they save me a lot of time, too. (It can be time-consuming to hunt for an outlet!)
I have a couple of brands of chargers in my possession, but right now my favorite is the PNY T2200 PowerPack. It’s slim and lightweight, so I can toss it in a tote bag or a small crossbody purse. My phone reaches 100 percent battery fairly quickly, and I can recharge the PowerPack at night so it can be my lifeline throughout the day.
Now, I know you’re thinking, “Why does she need three chargers?” It doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the gadget—I haven’t had any issues with my reliable PowerPack. There are two reasons: I can rest easy knowing I have a backup charger and, sometimes I forget to recharge at least one of them at night.
To buy: PNY T2200 PowerPack; $15, amazon.com.
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