Everyone knows how useful emergency chargers are. No one will die without one, but they’re just convenient to have.

But a $6 charger? Not very trustworthy compared to what the official ones from Apple cost. The aptly named Emergency Battery Charger for iPod Nano/Video/Touch/iPhone uses 2 AA batteries and weighs 2 ounces… and that’s about all the info there is.

I wouldn’t put my trust in something that promises so much for so little, but I suppose it’s worth a shot. The loss won’t be big, at least.

How much under $29.99?
A lot: $5.71 on DealExtreme.com.

Via GearDiary

I’m sold on emergency phone chargers already, since my battery always runs out at the worst time, so extra incentives weren’t necessary. But…

Even thought it looks crapgadgety, the One Battery Mobile Charger Pen does have a good idea there. Why carry more items than necessary? Most people carry a pen around, so why not replace it with a phone charger that can also write. It looks like a regular pen, only it’s slightly bigger to allow the battery to fit in. It comes with 5 adapters which should be ok for most phones, but of course it’s better to double check before ordering.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $19 on Gagdet4All.com.

Via RedFerret

Long trip + bad music on the radio + the 3 CDs you forgot in the car a month ago = BAD. So, naturally, you need some other form of satisfying your music needs, something that doesn’t take much space and can play lots of tunes… An MP3 player, duh. (NOT “an iPod”, they aren’t the only player left on the face of the Earth, thankyouverymuch.)

If you usually use your music player in your car, but also need to charge your phone or other gadgets on a long trip, you’re going to need a lot of USB ports. The Car Charger with 4 USB Ports and 1 Cigarette Socket has a silly name, but it provides enough space for your gadgets and even your laptop. It’s even small enough not to get in the way, so you can just forget it plugged in until you next need it.

Really. You don’t want to discover your battery is dead and you’ve got a 5-hour trip of only listening to car noises to look forward to.

How much under $29.99?
A little: $22.99 on USBFever.com.

Via DVICE

Countless times I’ve been in a car with a dead phone/mp3 player and no way to charge it. And countless times I’ve promised myself I’d get a car charger. But there was one problem: I don’t have car charger extensions for either…

Then again, at least my mp3 player has an USB connection, which is a big incentive for me getting a Multi-Use Car Charger with Dual USB Ports. Beside other obvious uses, this says “ability to listen to music in the car without worrying about charging issues”. With this and a 60GB iPod, the music for a long road trip is assured, which is a must for me.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $15.95 on Amazon.com.

Via OhGizmo!

At this rate, in a couple of months I’ll be powering everything through my USB ports… and I’ll need to buy one of those hubs, finally.

The latest USB powered item I’ve seen is the Versatile USB Battery Turbo Charger. A battery charger is an absolute must to me, without it I’d have a dead camera, and traveling without a means of taking photo is a big no-no. This USB charger from A4Tech can charge both AA and AAA batteries, so it’s the perfect thing to take along for your camera, mouse, even mp3 player. I hate buying normal batteries that only last for a couple of days, so I am a big fan of rechargeables.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $14.88 on DitCorp.com.

Via TechieDiva

I am lazy. I don’t want to have to move around too much. I would love it if the world revolved around my computer. While an USB-powered microwave is probably not in the works, USB-powered other things will do too.

Given that most hotel rooms have one outlet for the TV and another for the lamp, being able to use my laptop + hub to charge things is very convenient. The Freeloader Battery Charger uses one USB port to charge two AA or AAA batteries, to make sure you don’t end up in a foreign city with a useless camera. If you’re used to carrying your laptop around, you can even take a lunch break, charge your batteries and carry on taking photos with a full stomach.

“The Smallest, Lightest Battery Charger in the World”? Perhaps, not that I care too much. It does look pretty small and it’s useful. Too bad there isn’t any 4-batteries version, since there aren’t that many cameras which run on 2 batteries.

How much under $29.99?
A little: ~$25 on Gizoo.co.uk.

Via Gizmodo

“Hmm, my mobile phone is almost dead. Eh, I have to go now, no time to reacharge it, and anyway I’ll only be gone for two hours, it will surely last that long.” More often than not, this train of thought is followed by getting detoured by a friend and ending up with a dead phone at 3 a.m. in a club, unable to call a taxi.

I didn’t trust the previous emergency charger I wrote about – 3 hours from one battery seemed exagerrated, but it looks like it wasn’t. The iGo powerXtender, reviewed on OhGizmo!, can give a gadget 6 to 8 hours worth of juice using two AA batteries.

In order to use it, you need to get a tip for your specific device ($10 each), then just plug it in and wait. Unfortunately, Evan at OhGizmo! reports that it tends to randomly power itself off during charging, so if you’re aiming to fully charge your phone, iPod or console you have to keep an eye on it for shut downs. Other than this, it’s a priceless little device for anyone who’s ever left home and discovered his/her can’t-live-without gadget is dead.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $15.99 on iGo.com.

Via OhGizmo!

This is another one of those products that are so obviously useful you wonder how come they weren’t around since always.

A 4-Port USB Car Charger, so obvious! So many of our gadgets charge through an USB port and we spend so much of our time in cars, why didn’t this exist before? Anyway, it’s here now, and I’m sure many people will be happy to hear it.

How much under $29.99?
Some: $12 on Gadget4All.com.

Via DVICE