Dispatches From Taiwan: External Batteries Are Long-Flight Near-Necessities

Sigh…I don’t know what it is about computers, trips to Taiwan, and me. Last year, the Windows Boot Camp partition on my MacBook was corrupted subsequent to a Windows Update, likely not the fault of Microsoft but of a slowly failing Seagate HDD. And this year, although I’ve delayed installing the Monster Patch Tuesday suite of O/S and Office updates until after I return to Truckee later this evening, I was again bit by a comparatively minor but still annoying hardware bug.

Earlier today, I opened the LCD bezel on my MacBook Air and heard a loud pop. The right hinge is now unnaturally higher than its left counterpart, and the whole hinge assembly is so loose that the display will only hold a few partially open positions (and feebly so, at that). I’d heard that the hinge design was a potential Achilles’ Heel of the MacBook Air, and I’d also heard that some Apple Store service centers were refusing to honor systems’ AppleCare coverage for this particular flaw (thereby provoking completely moronic behavior by some folks):

I online-booked a mid-day Friday appointment with the Reno, NV Apple Store while at Taipei International Airport waiting for my flight to San Francisco to depart (gotta love that free Wi-Fi), and I certainly hope I don’t get any run-around. Denying valid warranty claims is no way to reward customers for buying boutique, pricey computers! I’ll let you know how it goes.

You can probably tell by now that I’m typing this missive on the plane. As I mentioned on Friday morning, I’ve got two extended battery packs with me, one from MCT (i.e. MikeGyver) and the other from QuickerTek. I used MCT’s battery on the way out to Taiwan, and I’m using QuickerTec’s gear now. Both systems have their pros and cons, which I’ll tackle in the following paragraphs; also check out Gizmodo’s review of HyperMac’s equipment.

Until Monday, I’d thought that external batteries were only applicable (practically speaking) to the MacBook Air and 17" MacBook Pro; all of Apple’s other portable systems had removable batteries (thereby enabling users to tote comparatively inexpensive multiple batteries on long trips). However, Apple just announced that its 13" and 15" Pro variants are also going the fully-embedded-battery route. No matter how much Apple claims that the new integrated batteries are far superior to their predecessors (and how much you believe Apple’s operating life predictions), there’ll undoubtedly be situations where you need more juice than a single battery can deliver. And with past history as a guide to probable future behavior, expect other computer OEMs to shortly follow in Apple’s footsteps.

The system MCT sent me uses a 10,000 mAh (130 wH) battery from Valence Technology, a N-Charge ‘Saphion’ Li-Ion Polymer pack. The battery (not including its companion charger and cables) weighs 2.97 lbs; it has dimensions of 11.8" x 9.1" x 0.5" thick and is therefore intended for use underneath a laptop. I found its form factor to be very convenient both in the below-computer regard and with respect to the ability to slip it into a computer bag as one might with a thick paper folder or magazine. My flight to Taiwan ended up being 13.5 hours (the jetstream-aided one I’m on now, back to the States, is 11:10), and judging from the LED readout built into the Valence battery, I only used around half of its stored charge.

I always hesitate to make claims like the above, because battery life is very much a ‘your mileage may vary’ situation. Thankfully, unlike last year, I was able to sleep for roughly half of the flight (wherein the MacBook Air was in standby). Even when I was on the computer, I wasn’t doing anything particularly performance-demanding; some reading, some writing, and some Outlook email culling (no watching movies, multimedia editing, etc). Plus, I kept the LCD backlight dim, and I’m also using CoolBook to under-volt the CPU to 0.8V across its entire operating frequency range.

The Valence battery connects in-line between the AC charger (which can also power the computer in parallel) and the MacBook Air. For battery charging purposes, Mike leverages a Kensington 120W adapter. And since Apple still refuses to license its MagSafe connector to third parties, as I’ve discussed in the past, MCT connects the wiring harness to the computer by cutting the cable off an Apple AC adapter and attaching an appropriate plug to the severed end of the wire. I asked Mike what he did with the unused Apple wall wart and unfortunately got the answer I expected; since he has no other use for it, he just discards it. What a waste; c’mon, Apple, license MagSafe!

This QuickerTek battery, also Li-Ion Polymer in technology, is more brick-shaped; 7" x 3.5" x 1", with a weight (again not including charger and cabling) of 1.2 lbs. Do the math, and you’ll discover that it takes up less than half the volume of the older Valence battery. Still, it has substantial charge storage capability; although QuickerTek doesn’t list specifications on its website, I cajoled the company into fessing up to a 124 wH claim (my subsequent request for a corresponding mAh specification didn’t garner a response).

The QuickerTek system leverages a convention AC/DC converter for charging which, as with MCT’s design, can simultaneously power a connected computer. This approach leads to one of several shortcomings I noted with this particular product; the three-prong power cable can be difficult to use both with U.S. power outlets that don’t offer earth ground-inclusive plugs and (in conjunction with a plug adapter) in other countries. QuickerTec’s battery also offers no integrated ‘remaining charge’ indicator, so you have no idea how much operating life you’ve got left. And since the battery’s input and output connectors are identical, you can also easily misconnect the harness (with presumably disastrous consequences to the battery) if you’re in a hurry or otherwise not careful to read the small-print labels.

One upside of QuickerTek’s harness design is that, although the company similarly does surgery on an Apple power adapter to come up with a MagSafe cable, an in-line plug alternatively lets you reconnect the adapter’s wall wart end and use the power adapter in a compact, standalone fashion. This is a convenient (not to mention hardware non-wasteful) approach. And in closing, I should also point out that MCT no longer sells the exact system I tested on this trip. Valence has apparently gotten out of the external battery business, so Mike’s switched to PowerPad-based products.

p.s…That airport security requirement to remove your computer from carry-on luggage prior to it going through the X-ray scanner? It applies to external batteries, too. Take my word for it and save yourself the hassle.