NomadPlus Transforms an Apple Charger Into a Portable Battery (Juli Clover/MacRumors)

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NomadPlus Transforms an Apple Charger Into a Portable Battery (Juli Clover/MacRumors)

Nomad, the company behind the pocket-sized NomadKey iPhone cable, today debuted the NomadPlus, a product that transforms an Apple charger into a portable battery pack.

While there are hundreds of different portable battery options for the iPhone, the NomadPlus is unique because it functions with an existing Apple charger. The NomadPlus plugs into an Apple wall charger, transforming it into a 1500 mAh portable battery with enough juice to recharge an iPhone to 70 percent.

One of the most cumbersome aspects of most battery packs is the recharging of the battery itself, but the NomadPlus allows the add-on battery to be charged as an iPhone charges via the wall charger, a simple solution that saves time and effort.

The NomadPlus is not much larger than an iPhone wall charger, measuring in at 2.75" x 1.33" x 1.10", and it weighs just 2.1 ounces. It supports pass-through charging, and will charge the iPhone before charging the battery itself.

While NomadPlus takes advantage of the Apple wall charger's superb design and engineering, its USB port can be used to power up any number of smartphone or tablet devices. Upcycling your wall plug with NomadPlus is the way to go when looking for a portable battery; it's a practical upgrade of something you already own.The NomadPlus can be pre-ordered from the Nomad website for $39, but as noted by TechCrunch, entering the promo code "nomadplus" will cut the price down to $20, presumably for a limited time.

I'd prefer this... 3000mAh battery and folding plugs:

Who needs to charge their iPhone outside the US, anyway?

Looks cool, but I'm afraid it'll take over the Enterprise.

Did you forget a sarcasm emoticon? If not, then please elaborate.

Simple really... Outside the US, iPhone chargers are shaped very very differently. For example, it is more like a triangle in the UK and a long rectangular prism (instead of a cube) in Europe.

Deepest joy that the rest of the planet uses a different shaped official charger!

Looks cool, but I'm afraid it'll take over the Enterprise.

Yep. This is what it looks like when it's fully charged.

Looks nice, but the capacity is only 1500mAh. Plus you still have to provide your own iPhone Charger.

So I don't see the point. Other $40 (or even $20) battery packs will let you charge your iPhone 2~3 times instead of "70%" once.

Wouldn't it be simpler if the battery simply had a built-in plug so you don't actually need to sacrifice your existing iPhone charger for this? What if you want to charge your iPhone and the battery simultaneously? What if you forgot your iPhone charger but still want to charge the battery? Other than being slightly cheaper since it's less hardware to build, what's the point of it not having a built in charger?

Oh good, it charges a phone to 70%.

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