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Giveaway: Win one of five Technocel Battery Boost packs
Seeing your phone run out of battery power usually only happens when you need it most. Right when you need to call home that you'll be late, or if you need to call a hotel after your flight was canceled. Thankfully, there are quite a few battery backup products on the market - but the one we love the most is the Technocel Battery Boost.
This tiny battery pack features a built in MicroUSB charger plug, retractable USB port and a built in MicroSD memory card reader! We reviewed this fantastic battery pack last year, and were so impressed that we included it in our "best of 2010" lineup.
Now we are giving you the chance to win one of these for yourself - and all you have to do is leave a comment telling us your best "dead battery" story.
- To enter, simply leave a comment answering the question posted above.
- The comment must be left before Monday February 28, 2011 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
- You may enter only once.
- Five Prize Winners will be randomly selected to receive one Technocel Battery Boost.
- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
- The total value of each prize is approximately $29.99.
- Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.
Filed under: Gadling Gear Review
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
willbesurifng Feb 21st 2011 12:59PM
On the way to my sisters wedding, where I was to give her away, I got a flat. We all had been out so late the night before I had forgotten to charge my phone. I couldn't call to tell them I was going to be late. The wedding was held up for an extra hour. There was alot of extra sweating that day. I'll never live that one down!
Sharlyn Lauby Feb 21st 2011 1:12PM
Hey - this looks cool. I'd love to be included in the drawing. Thanks!
Carson Feb 21st 2011 1:19PM
Sign me up! I can't think of a great story right now, but I can't count the number of times I've jumped on a plane with a dead battery and could use something like this to recharge while I'm in the air!
Kenn Feb 21st 2011 2:27PM
Worst dead battery story was when my CX500 motorcycle ran out of juice in the sticks. It was having some fuel issues, and the battery's only good for a few cranks with such a heavy engine. Ended up having to get a jump.
Stolen Feb 21st 2011 3:40PM
Car broke down on a brutally cold WI night.
Stolen
stolenfotos.wordpress.com
andrew Feb 21st 2011 6:14PM
My girlfriends toy ran out of juice after a half hour of enjoyment, we could here the batteries dying and started laughing that she drained the batteries.
Hey, You asked:)
Michele P. Feb 21st 2011 7:37PM
this past June we were seated on a plane headed for Guatemala to see hubby's family. Unfortunately, the plane was delayed due to severe thunderstorms in Miami and we sat, waiting, in a hot plane with complete strangers for well over an hour. Knowing that we were going to be delayed, and that the airport in Guatemala makes people wait outside for their loved ones-I had visions of my poor mother in law standing hours in torrential rains (it is their winter rainy season in June) as she waited for us to arrive. Our daughter had fallen asleep waiting for the plane to take off, and she was seated in the middle seat. Hubby and I both were anxiously drinking our ginger ales provided by the flight staff when my daughter, jolted by a bad dream or whatever, hit the pull down tray and doused hubby (and his cell phone) with our ginger ale and ice. Since hubby was just getting ready to call his family to let them know they needed to arrive a bit later than planned, dousing the phone with soda pop was not in the plan. The battery was already low, and the few droplets of soda pop that got into the phone did not add well to the mix. It powered up, then down-almost immediately. Hubby decided to take out the battery, wipe it off and put it back in-hoping it'd make a difference-it worked, but again, didn't have enough juice to make the call. Finally, he held it up to the air coming from above our seats and smacked it a few times. Amazingly, he got 2 bars, and just enough juice for a 3 minute call to let mama know we'd be about 2 hours late. Fate? I'm not sure, but since it was the first time meeting my mother in law, I was glad she was in a good mood... I can only imagine what she would have been like had she been waiting several hours for a delayed flight! (hubby didn't fare as well though, he had to sit through a 2 hour flight that was most uncomfortable with his soaked shorts and underwear...)
Keith Feb 22nd 2011 1:26AM
I had rented a boat to ask my girlfriend to marry me. The night went great, but I was waiting to propose until the morning; however, it was pouring rain when we woke up and my phone was DEAD! We were supposed to call the owner of the boat to pick us up on his motorboat, so we were now stranded. Eventually we had to row a tiny rowboat in pouring rain across a distance of about 500'.
I got engaged that weekend though!
Andrew Feb 22nd 2011 4:01AM
I would so love this!~
Avery Kucan Feb 22nd 2011 2:32PM
I was driving from California to Arizona, and my car just died. There were no cars around, so i called AAA to help me, but then my phone beeped, then I was like oh, crud. So i said "My phone is running out of battery, so just pick me up. I'm about 60 miles from the Interstate... Beep!" my phone just died. I ended up waiting with my hazard lights on for about an hour, then finally someone pulled over, and let my use their phone. I called AAA and they towed my car, and i found out my car had overheated.
anash Feb 22nd 2011 8:46AM
hmmm- my best dead battery story- would be driving van that was overheating and my friend and i were supposed to meet up- my phone died and we didnt figure out a place to meet- i was supposed to call her. i had no choice but to pull over for a pay phone because the car had to stop immediately or risk a fire!
Doug Feb 22nd 2011 6:00PM
Landed at O'Hare on a business trip and was there for just one presentation and flying out that night - very time sensitive. My phone hadn't shut all the way down during the flight and was dead upon landing with no way to contact my colleague that was supposed to pick me up. Ended up writing my company name on a piece of paper and holding it up while drivers passed in the pick up area. Humiliating, but it worked.
Cindy Feb 22nd 2011 7:05PM
After leaving for Detroit to Seattle and my flight being delayed 2 hours, I could not call my friend to have him pick me up at the airport. He thought I bailed and went to the bar to celebrate his bday with friends. I finally got my phone charged up and 4 hours later took a taxi to the bar.
Caren Feb 22nd 2011 11:29PM
My teenaged daughter and I parted ways at the mall as she and her friend went off to try on homecoming dresses. So I parked myself at Starbucks and amused myself with a newspaper and a latte and waited until they were ready to leave.
After the first hour of not hearing anything, no worries. The second hour I called to see how they were doing. Went right to voicemail. I start to prowl the likely stores they'd go to. No luck. Third hour I'm getting a little miffed. Four more calls, four more right to voicemails. It's getting late and we have to get going. Finally I scroll through my contact list looking for inspiration and find the friend's cellphone number, which I then dial. It works. Contact! "Why did you turn off your phone?" I asked DD. "I forgot to charge my battery", she says "but I knew my friend's phone was fully charged so I wasn't worried, I knew I could always call you when we were ready to go". Tried to flip to Zen mode before responding. Was unsuccessful. Not that the Technocel Battery Boost would have helped out back then, she probably would have forgotten to take it, but still, it's nice to know such a thing exists. Just in case.
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Robert Feb 23rd 2011 7:45AM
Back in the days when I was single I was living in an apartment complex and my car was always parked outside.There was a girl who lived across the complex that always used to catch my eye. I had no idea how to get her attention or approach her. Then one morning as I was ready to leave for work, my car would not start due to a dead battery. All I heard was the dreaded clicking sound. As I stood there hoping to find someone who could give me a boost, who came out and headed right for the car next to mine but that girl. Well it turned out that I had left my lights on the night before and we had a good laugh about that. When we got my car started I asked if I could take her to dinner to thank her. That was twelve years ago and we have been married for ten years now. That was the best mistake I have ever made. Now, over the years when we have had a dead battery episode we just laugh about it.
Chris Byrd Feb 23rd 2011 9:23AM
So my wife takes her itouch away for the weekend with friends, and while listening in the bathroom, she drops into the sink and immerses the entire thing. She takes it out, dries it off and it does not turn on. Oh, shoot, and no way to open, so we think.
Well, she gets home and we have the bright idea that if we can open it up we can find some way to fix it. After a few tries with a credit card, I take a knife and proceed to crack the glass in a beautiful pattern. So, frustrated, I plug it in. It turns on, with the battery guage at total empty. She had not tried to recharge, just presumed it was ruined, and I did my best destructive work on a perfectly good itouch. So now , I get a great for running and listening to music fancy MP4 player, while she gets a new generation with front and back camera, etc.
Always check the charge before giving up!
Anthony Romani Feb 23rd 2011 10:31AM
I have a Droid X and love it and often lord over those who have low teach phones. My son and I were on a road trip and I forgot to pack my car charger. In the middle of a unfamiliar city, my phone died and as I was trying to figure out what to do, little did i know, he called from his flip phone to our destination and got directions and then laughed at me the whole rest of the way!!
Ashley K Feb 23rd 2011 1:15PM
The best story is probably when I had a friend drop my off on campus for one of my classes and I was having a different person come pick me up. My phone died before we had set a meeting up point. I ended up on a payphone phoning my family (the only phone numbers I memorized) to get them to call a friend to call their friend and then finally get a hold of the person who was supposed to pick me up! Such a mess!
julie Feb 23rd 2011 1:23PM
Well, There are many, many "dead battery" stories in my life, but the most recent, was when my son was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
He has always had some health issues, and is always catching the newest virus that comes around. He doesn't go to daycare, its hard enough keepin ghim in school. so when he needs care, my son stays at my dads house.
I was at work, and recieved an emergency call. His fever had spiked, and caused a seizure. I Obviously rush to my dads house, however, on the way there, i needed to speak to the emergency responders. As i was on the phone with them, ( telling them his health history) By the time i got to his medication allergies, my phone died:(
Fortunatly i made it to the hospital at the same time as the ambulance, and all was fine. but it would of been a huge mental relief to not have to worry if they gave him the medication he was allegic to! .
Nick Feb 23rd 2011 9:30PM
Was on my way to an out-of-way airport during a mass flight cancellation, and with my cellphone dead and no other ready access to public phones combines with bad weather and bad road conditions, I spent a distressing hour trying to decide if I would be better off returning back to my hotel.