A Little Extra Power When You Need It Smartphones are convenient, until they run out of power. To help provide an extra jolt of juice, MyCharge has introduced a line of rechargeable power banks that are compatible with a variety of devices. The power banks come with names like Sojourn, Voyage and Trek, suggesting that life is an adventure, so you better be prepared. The top-of-the-line model is the $100 Peak 6000, which can charge devices three ways: through an Apple dock connector, a micro USB connector or a USB port. The multiple connectors are tucked away like the ever-ready blades of a Swiss Army knife. MyCharge claims that the Peak 6000 can provide an extra 27 hours of talk or 20 hours of browsing, and it comes fully charged, so you can technically use it right out of the box. However, the test unit that was supplied to me was dead on arrival. Fortunately, the Peak 6000 comes with fold-out prongs designed to charge the unit at a wall outlet. After a full charge, which took about four hours, the Peak 6000 was able to charge my depleted iPad to only 72 percent, which took another couple of hours. Connecting the iPad directly to a wall outlet would have charged it fully in half the time. I found myself more concerned about getting the power bank charged than I did charging my own devices. But the Peak 6000 was helpful on a recent train ride, when I became obsessed with the "LostWinds" iPad app. I didn't have immediate access to an outlet, and the app's graphics were draining the tablet's battery. Fortunately, the Peak 6000 gave me enough power to play the game for the entire four-hour ride. The Peak 6000 could charge a little faster, but when you really need an extra boost of power, it comes in handy.