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Michigander Lisa Sawyer says one piece of technology stands out from the rest when it comes to making her busy life easier: external batteries for her family’s mobile devices. Not only is Sawyer a hockey mom, volleyball mom and ice skating mom, she is also a grandmother and a working mom. Adding to her organized chaos, all of her kids play on traveling sports teams, which requires her to factor in commuting distance before and after sporting events.
Scurrying with her kids across the state lines for sporting events on weekends during the school year and traveling during the summer on family outings, Sawyer says when dropping teenagers off at hockey rinks, sports arenas or parks her peace of mind is stronger knowing her cell phone battery is not going to run out of juice.
“I don’t want my son and his friends wandering away from me at Cedar Point with a dead cell phone,” Sawyer said. “I don’t need to be driving through the Smoky Mountains with the kids in the car and worry about breaking down without a phone.”
Sawyer is constantly upgrading external batteries for herself and kids to get the latest and greatest available. The device she recommends for her iPhone 6 Plus is the PhoneSuitFlex XT Pocket Charger for iPhone and iPod Blue. It connects to the iPhone for instant power, has a built-in extended lightning connector and delivers up to 150 percent extra power. It’s also conveniently sized at just the size of a thumb!
For her kids’ iPhone 5s, the mophie powerstation mini quickly charges virtually any smartphone or other USB device and fits easily inside a pocket or wallet; perfect to put in the teens’ backpacks when they are hiking in Tennessee. The mophie powerstation comes in six colors, has a 4,000 mAh external battery and is designed to provide rapid charging. It can switch between 500 mA, 1 amp or 2.1 amps for high-output power for nearly any USB-charged device, including the Apple iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S 4.
“It’s a little bigger in size which is actually good, so the kids can’t lose it easily,” Sawyer said.
For those who want a battery extender plus protection on their smartphone, the sleek mophie plus Charging Case for iPhone 5 comes in several different color options and is a durable, impact-resistant and rechargeable case that adds hours of talk and Internet time with 2,100 mAh battery.
“That should be the stocking stuffer for my son who streams constantly and isn’t exactly gentle with his devices no matter where we are,” Sawyer said.
Trevor Thomas is a public relations manager for Verizon Wireless. You can follow him on Twitter at VZWsheldon @ VZWtrevor.
