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Get an iPhone backup battery for $10.99 shipped

How's this for an iPhone deal of the day: an external battery pack that charges using the standard USB plug? Just one hitch: It'll take upward of two weeks to arrive from Hong Kong.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida

Extend your iPhone's runtime by nearly 70 percent. Meritline

Got power? Scratch that. Got enough power? Oh, who are we kidding, there's never enough. That's why no self-respecting iPhone owner should travel without an external power pack, a battery that clips on to provide extra juice just when you need it.

There are dozens of such products available, often with price tags in the $30 to 40 range. However, Meritline has an 800mAh external iPhone 3G battery pack for $10.99 shipped. (It normally sells for $35.99.)

The iPhone 3G Power Station plugs into the bottom of your handset to recharge the internal battery or supply emergency power. (My definition of "emergency" is a battery that dies halfway through your flight.)

How much extra runtime can you squeeze from the Power Station? Well, it's an 800mAh battery. Your iPhone 3G has an 1150mAh battery. Math isn't my strong suit, but I'm guessing you should get nearly 70 percent more runtime--not too shabby.

The Power Station recharges with a standard iPhone connector: USB cable, speaker dock, or whatever. According to the Meritline Web site, which is pretty light on details, it takes three hours to fully charge.

The only real downside here is that the Power Station "ships in 2-5 days via Hong Kong Air Mail," meaning it could take a full two weeks to arrive at your door. If you don't mind the wait, this looks like a mighty sweet deal on an iPhone battery pack.