AC on the Road: Anker Astro2 8400 mAh external battery

We talk a lot here about travel because, well, we travel a lot. And in the past few months we've been talking a lot about keeping our phones charged, as more manufacturers are switching to non-removable batteries. And so with meetings on the left coast this week, I've got a new today. That's the Anker Astro2 8400 mAh external battery. It's not small. It's not light. But with that sort of capacity, you wouldn't expect it to be. And, perhaps more important, it's got some output power at 5V 2A or 5V 1A. It ain't subtle, and it won't be trickle charging anything. (And, as you can tell, it'll charge two devices at once.)

Wanna hear the scary part? There's a 10,000 mAh battery available, too. And it's all pretty affordable. I got this one on Amazon for $47. The 10,000 mAh version isn't much more, either. (Mine also has a flashlight -- just in case.)

Got a little video after the break if you're interested, and stick around as we all find out how it performs.

Phil Nickinson