Web Journalist Blog

Kid Rock, Geordi Laforge, great gadgets and great folks… my first CES delivered an impressive experience that made it well worth the trip – even if I stayed at a bad hotel like the Excalibur. (Hey, and no CueCat!)

You’ve heard by now that 3D TVs were the buzz of the conference and that an army of eBook readers are about to swarm the market. There were some impressive booths and demos, especially from Kodak and Intel.

But my take away from CES was the growing technology compensating for the limitations we’ve gotten from crappy battery life.

Here are three devices I recommend checking out:

HyperMac is a full-fledged external battery made for all your Apple devices.

Coming in difference sizes, you can lug around a battery the size of your laptop to power your laptop. Or a deck-of-card-sized battery that is great to recharge your iPhone a few times over. It powers your devices through its USB port.

If you are tired of carrying around all your cables to charge your devices, PowerMat has some interesting options. This company launched its first device in October, but they have already developed and improved on their impressive technology.

Later this year that are going to release replacement batteries for your cell phone (and soon for your digital point-and-shoot and video cameras) that will work with their wireless charging mat.

But, for me, the best thing coming out in Q3 is their really wireless, portable charger. This (large) pocket-sized mat holds enough to completely charge your iPhone four times or even give your netbook some extra juice, with an adapter.

This mat is truly wireless. Just place your device on the mat, hear a beep and see it charge. There are several different contenders entering the new wireless-power market, but as of right now these guys are leading the way. Keep an eye on this company.

And for those of you concerned about your carbon footprint, MiniWiz has developed a wind, solar and hand-cranked power device. This little device is made to hold you over until you get to the plug.

Sure, you can say it is a gimmick, but it’s a nice device in a pinch. One minute of wind power charges your phone for one minute of voice.

There is a newer, smaller version coming out later this year.

With things like the MiFi and these new batteries, we’re getting closer to being a completely wireless reporter without the need of a plug — well, for at least several hours.