NEW BATTERY BOX MOBILE GADGET POWERS MACBOOK AIR FOR UP TO 12 HOURS ON ONE CHARGE

BATTERY BOX

It doesn’t matter which mobile gadgets you choose to use, eventually they all run out of juice and need recharging. Typically that happens when you either don’t have a charger handy, or are nowhere near a power outlet. So a backup power device is a popular addition to many bags.

BatteryBox is the latest gadget to offer extra juice on demand. It’s impressive for two reasons: the amount of power it offers in such a small package, and how long the BatteryBox will last before the batteries inside start to degrade.

Let’s start with the power capabilities. Maker Gbatteries Systems Inc. claims the 50Whr BatteryBox is capable of powering a MacBook Air for 12 hours, a MacBook Pro for 6 hours, or can recharge 8 iPhones before it needs recharging.

The BatteryBox itself takes 4.5 hours to reach 80 percent charge and 9 hours to reach full capacity using a micro USB charger. You can halve those times by switching to a 2A power supply, though.

The BatteryBox uses a MagSafe2 adapter to power MacBooks (it doesn’t charge the battery, it just provides power), but also has an adapter unlocking its use for any device that allows USB charging. It measure 0.98 x 2.63 x 3.55-inches and weighs 250 grams. Inside is a 50Whr, 12,000mAh battery pack.

As for price, it’s going to cost $139 with the first shipment happening sometime in the fall. So this isn’t a device you can buy just yet.

$139 is a lot to spend on a backup battery, but this one claims to be cleverer than what’s already out there through the use of BatteryOS. Gbatteries has developed BatteryOS to control the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries inside the BatteryBox. It allows for 4x higher cycle life, meaning 3,000 charge/discharge cycles while retaining 96 percent capacity. Typically users can expect to get 5 years of use without any battery degradation, which is very impressive.

That extension in battery life isn’t down to some special type of cells, it’s all about the management of the lithium-ion batteries. BatteryOS does that dynamically, and is always managing the energy inside a battery to ensure it doesn’t degrade like an unmanaged battery will.

If BatteryOS works as well as claimed, it shouldn’t take long for Gbatteries to have manufacturing knocking on its door asking to license the tech.