I upgrade my dumbphone just about as soon as my carrier gives me the green light to do so. While the chargers are now USB based and universal, the batteries are not. I’ve never bought a backup battery for any of my dumbphones, but the worrier in me decided I would need some sort of backup in case I am left with a dead dumbphone and need to get in contact with someone… or Facebook (sad, huh?). I checked Amazon and found my godsend: Anker® Astro3 8400mAh Dual 2A USB Output External Battery Backup and Charger.
It comes in different capacities, but I decided on this one because it is not the lowest capacity but not the highest capacity. This little goodie has worked like a charm. All you do is charge it until the 4 blue lights stop blinking, which takes a few hours. It comes with different adapters, so you can charge different types of devices. I have not used it to charge my iPod, but I think you will need to use the iPod cable to attach to the Anker.
I took the Anker with me on my recent trip to Canada. I knew I’d be away from an electrical outlet for a while, and with all the pictures or FB status updates I’d be doing, I knew I could not risk my dumbphone dying on me.
The Anker works like a charm. It gives my dumphone a charge that lasts just about as long as it would be charged with the wall charger. It was so convenient to have while I was on my many adventures. It is about the size of a deck of cards in overall size and thickness, so it can fit just about anywhere. Even if you don’t use it to charge for a while, I have found that it still has life in it for many days. If it is fully charged, it can last weeks; if it is half charged, it will discharge after 3-5 days (in my experience).
The only “negative” (and this is barely a negative at all) is that the flashlight is not that great. It kind of reminds me of one of those free keychain flashlights you get from corporate conferences or conventions. You’re better off charging your phone with the Anker and using a flashlight app on your phone if you need light.
Bottom Line: Ditch the spare batteries! Save money and avoid headache with the Anker rechargeable battery backup and charger.