BIOS: Technology Means Business

There has been an explosion of personal portable devices in the market. Today's business traveller might have a laptop, a mobile phone, an MP3 player or more, but keeping them all powered up - and travelling with multiple adapters - is challenging. There is a clear market need for more flexible and portable power solutions.

Xantrex Technology's XPower Pocket Powerpack 100 ($119) is a lightweight battery and inverter combination that can operate or recharge a wide range of mobile consumer electronics products through alternating current (AC), or direct current (DC) from a USB port.

The portable Powerpack weighs less than 1kg, should fit easily in a laptop bag and can recharge a Blackberry 30 times, an iPod 20 times, a mobile phone at least eight times, or can provide up to 2.5 hours of additional runtime for most laptops without plugging into an outlet - according to the company.

The XPower Pocket Powerpack is designed to eliminate the cumbersome battery pack accessories, or 'bricks,' that are traditionally required to recharge mobile devices. The product also includes integrated vehicle and aeroplane connectors to allow you to operate or recharge devices while in transit.

'If people constantly need to recharge mobile devices at stationary outlets, they effectively lose the benefit of mobility,' says Grant Dunbar, Xantrex product marketing manager, retail markets.

'We've spent years developing the best portable power products on the market and have sold more than one million to date. We've leveraged that experience to develop the Pocket Powerpack 100, a first-of-its-kind product that addresses the increasing power needs of the world's most popular mobile devices.'