A while back I wrote a post explaining how to use a battery backup unit (UPS) to keep your cell phone charged during extended power outages, and it turned out to be one of my most popular tips ever.
Since then I have received questions from a number of readers asking if there’s a way to do it if you’re caught in a blackout while away from home. And as it turns out, there sure enough is!
I learned this trick from a friend who travels frequently on business. All you need to do is plug your phone into your laptop’s USB port and the relatively large laptop battery will supply enough juice for several full charging cycles of your phone’s battery.
A few caveats:
1 – Some laptops must be in Sleep mode in order for the USB ports to remain powered, but even in Sleep mode the laptop’s battery will last a good long while.
2 -Some laptops only power the USB ports when the system is actually up and running (not in Sleep or Hibernate mode).
3 – Other laptops supply power to the USB ports even when the PC is shut down completely, which means you can use the entire charge of the laptop’s battery just to keep your cell phone charged!
Of course if you have work that needs to get done using the laptop itself, you won’t really have the option of using it to charge your phone too. “Whatever works for you” is the phrase of the day.
Photo credit: Jarpur