So it’s day one here at CES in Las Vegas, and the first thing Jorge and I did was head to the PowerSkin hospitality suite, where we were treated to a great tour by Alex Krillman and Stacey Zar. PowerSkin, a division of XPAL Power, is, as the name suggests, focused primarily on power, and how to conserve it (a recurring theme so far at this year’s CES). We got to take a look at the Pop’n 3, and let me tell you, the folks at PowerSkin know what they’re doing.
The Pop’n 3 is – again, as the name suggests – the third in PowerSkin’s line of portable cell phone chargers. What sets PowerSkin apart from other manufacturers is their equal devotion to aesthetics and functionality. The Pop’n isn’t bulky or unsightly (like, say, the cumbersome battery pack that was available for last-generation Droids). The units we saw were sleek and compact, the biggest of which measured 1.6 millimeters. Suction cups on the pack allow it to adhere to the surface of your phone with remarkable ease and strength. The cups didn’t work well on my phone, but that’s no fault of PowerSkin; I have a Moto X, with a curved faceplate, but Jorge has a Nexus 5 and the cups worked perfectly.
The Pop’n has a button on the back to toggle when it is and is not charging, which helps you conserve power in the device. Four small LED lights on the side let you keep track of how much power the Pop’n has left, and allows you to gauge how much longer you have until you have to plug it in to charge. It works with both Android and iPhone, as it comes with either micro USB or Lightning plugs.
I had my phone plugged into the Pop’n 3 for 15 minutes and restored 10% of battery life. Obviously that’s not as great as you’ll get from a wall charger, but no portable charger will equal that. What’s more, PowerSkin has taken pains to emulate the faceplate colors commonly seen in Android and iPhones, to make it as impressive and pretty as possible. It works, and I’m not just saying this because Jorge and I got free Pop’ns.
The staff at PowerSkin – Alex, Stacy, and company president Christian Scheder, who we had the pleasure of talking to – are knowledgeable and passionate, and very clearly dedicated to the coupling of innovation and convenience. The Pop’n 3 is a perfect example of both. I carried this thing in my sweater pocket all day today, and never noticed any weight or bulkiness. It came in handy more than once, and for people who use their phones a lot it’s a near-necessity (meaning people like students, businessmen/women, or everyone, because this is 2015). It retails for only $49.99, and you can customize yours to your liking on PowerSkin’s website. This is an exciting, effective product, and comes highly recommended.
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