I wanted to throw out this quick post because after a great experience, I told the folks I would.
As many of you know, I’ve been on the go lately. A lot. Airports, train stations, and even walking, I have found myself away from home and in unfamiliar places quite often these days. Because of this, I have been finding continued disappointment in my mobile devices and their battery life. My laptop does fairly well and my android tablet does hold quite a good charge despite being almost 3 years old. The biggest problem lies in my Samsung Galaxy S3. Like every other android phone I’ve owned, the battery life isn’t anything to write home about.
So I started reaching out on twitter, asking my friends for some advice on a portable power solution. Unlike the responses I’ve gotten to my requests for help here on this blog, people actually responded more than I’d expected- it was quite nice! I got several solutions from disposable battery packs to small generators that would probably have sufficed to power Jason Statham’s character in Crank for a month until I came upon my final choice: The Astro 3 by Anker.
I got the chance to experience this gem while at Shmoocon in January and I was pleasantly surprised not only by the size and weight, but by the apparent quality, battery life, and the selection of adapters provided with the device. I spent a little time playing with it to make sure it would charge my phone and my tablet, which it did quite well. The only short coming I have is that it doesn’t have an adapter to fit my laptop but that is something I can manage without for now though I’m investigating solutions to remedy that. But after playing with the thing I had to have one, and fate agreed as it went on sale the day after I got home from the con!
I ordered immediately and was thankful for my membership to Amazon Prime as the device arrived in nearly no time at all! As I started unboxing, I came to the sad realization that the nifty little mesh pouch that should have been provided, to hold the accessories, was not included. After my sadness subsided, I decided to use the power of the Internet and reach out on Twitter once more. I tweeted the official account for Anker and had a response the next day. They asked me to email and within 2 more days I had them shipping me the missing piece! They were prompt and very nice in making the situation right. I was actually amazed at the response I got. The service staff was friendly in email and made sure to not only satisfy my concerns but to take steps to be certain I was totally happy with their product- something almost unheard of in today’s world where the customer isn’t necessarily always right! Now, this device is in my arsenal and in full service, and while my travel has slowed for the time being, I’m sure that is only temporary and I am looking forward to putting this thing through it’s paces!
For any of my readers out there looking for something to quell the need for a portable power solution that adapts to their digital needs, I highly recommend the Astro 3 for a spin. And if you do, drop me a line. I’d love to hear what you think about it









