Power to go: Fat Cat Power Bar 4200 Charger

There are only a few things on this planet that drive me nuts.

A dead iphone is one of them.

You might call it “addiction,” I like to think of it as a desire to “stay in touch.”

Whatever you call it, the fact of the matter remains true: When that 10% warning comes across my screen I’m like a crazy banshee searching for power cords and car chargers.

Since I’ve been home I’ve been able to relax a bit.

Plugs in every wall may be something you take for granted, but I know better. I’ve been to the dark side where the wrong plug adapter changes everything. (insert shudder here)

I’m on my second $100 mophie case at the moment. The first purchased before we left lasted about halfway into the trip – just long enough for us to be out of Apple store range – before it simply stopped working. The second purchased at the first apple store sighting in France, didn’t last 3 months. Without the extra battery I became like Gollum with that golden ring.  No one was allowed to use that phone.

We have a wee bit in common, Gollum and I

“It’s miiiinnnnne,” I’d hiss at the children and Ish when they asked if they could play some game or check a score on it. Then I’d turn my back and rub the phone seductively. ” My precioussssssss.”

I’m only slightly kidding.

All of this to say that when the Fat Cat  Power Bar arrived in my mailbox, sent by a PR company who wanted me to give it a review, I was both excited and skeptical.

Now? I’m a believer.

The FatCat PowerBar 4200

I took it with me on my visit to New York City for the Blogher 2012 conference. While wifi was plentiful and I had Rogers data roaming packages on tap that I purchased ahead of time, power was at a minimum. When you’re at a conference with almost 5000 bloggers the last thing you’re going to get access to is a plug in the wall.

Some of the bloggers in attendance brought power cords with them. Others asked nicely for people to share a plug. I had my FatCat.

Here’s the facts:

*420mAh Travel Charger that’s compatible with iPhone 4/3GS/3G and iPod

* comes pre-charged so you can use it right out of the box

* comes with adaptors that allow it to be used with some gaming systems and cameras (can’t charge a laptop though)

* can be charged off any USB source

What I loved: All of the above and the fact that it was small and light and fit easily into even my evening clutch purse.It held it’s charge throughout the three-day conference even though I used it intermittently throughout.

Choose the colour that suits your personality

What I didn’t love:  I wish it came with a short retractable cord for connecting to the phone. I had to use my own phone to usb cord with it and as a result what could have been a super small package recharging in my purse and out of sight, became a bit of a tangle of cords in there.

Overall verdict: It’s my new “precious” and I won’t leave home without it.

For more information visit www.fatcatgear.com

The device retails for about $69.95 (US)