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NomadPlus turns your Apple USB wall plug into a backup battery

A new two-in-one charging gadget mates the iPhone's standard USB plug with a form-fitting rechargeable battery for on-the-go power.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
David Carnoy

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The $39 NomadPlus is available for preorder now. Nomad

Earlier products, like the PlugBug, have piggybacked off Apple's power adapters to create hybrid two-in-one chargers. But the folks at Nomad say their $39 NomadPlus is the first to mate Apple's basic iPhone USB wall plug with a rechargeable battery.

The concept is that instead of buying a rechargeable battery with a built-in wall plug you can save some money by bringing your own plug to the backup battery party. Instead of recycling, Nomad calls it "upcycling." However, as it stands, you can pick up something like the Tylt Energi 2K for the same price, so you may not be looking at much of a bargain.

NomadPlus adds a 1,500mAh battery to any Apple USB wall plug, which provides enough juice to charge your phone 7o percent after you unplug it from the wall (the product uses "pass-through technology," so it charges your phone first, then the backup battery).

Nomad got off the ground a few years ago as a Kickstarter project selling the ChargeCard, a credit card-size iPhone charging cable. While this is the fledgling company's first foray into the world of backup batteries, it has remained true to its charging accessory roots.

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Just pull to pop the plug out. Nomad