Special to The Prospector

One of the New Trent external batteries.

Everyone loves to have the freedom and accessibility a smart phone gives you. You have the ability to communicate with anyone and everyone you want. With smart phones you also have the Internet in the palm of your hand. However, there is one problem everyone encounters with his or her phone. That problem is the short or sometimes non-existent battery life. You are running to a class and your phone is dying. You are out on a hike and your phone is dying. So what’s the solution to this problem?

There are a few options. The first is finding a phone with better-than-average battery life. These phones are hard to come by. One example is the Motorola Droid Razor Maxx. This phone has one of the longest-life reviewed batteries.

Most people don’t want, or can’t afford, to buy a new phone. If you don’t want to buy a new phone you have two options. The first is to buy a case for your phone that has a battery built in. These cases are great because it’s always attached to your phone and you have immediate access to extra juice. The downside is that the cases are expensive and are very bulky, making your slim phone huge. Another downside is that if you get a new phone, your battery case will probably not work with the phone you just bought, making your newly purchased case useless.

The second option is an external battery pack. They make these products in a variety of different sizes. Some can charge your phone up fully once and are compact in size, and others can charge your phone up several times and are about the size of your phone. The benefit of having an external battery pack is they can easily fit in a bag, purse or even pocket. You have nothing bulking up your phone, but you also have access to something that can charge your phone. Another great thing about the external batteries compared to the case is you can often charge more than one device on them. So you could charge two phones, or a phone and a music player. You don’t have to be connected to a wall with an external battery, so you don’t have to sacrifice your mobility. They are great for people who are constantly on the move and need a way to charge their device. Great for airplane flights, hikers or anyone who needs their phone, but doesn’t always have access to a wall outlet–these external batteries can provide a simple solution.

There are many companies that make these external batteries. New Trent is a small, but reliable company that always gets great reviews. Anker and EasyAcc also make external batteries. It all depends on what you want and how much you want to spend. Do the research. Go to Amazon or some other online store and type in the words “external usb battery” and go through the list. Find one that has good reviews, works with your phone and is in your price range. Most of these external batteries work with the majority of smart phones.

If you’re asking yourself much will I have to spend on one of these things, the truth is you pay for quality, so if you want a really good one it will cost a little. However, a good external battery that can charge a smartphone three or four times will cost around $40. This is a price point that doesn’t seem too bad for what you get.

Now that you know some information about external batteries you can make the decision for yourself. Good luck with your future charging.