I recently found myself caught out there without portable, backup battery power. I mean, I had a Plan C — my iPhone charger in my purse — which was more like a Plan E, because trying to locate a conveniently-placed wall outlet at a massive blogging conference where every other attendee needs it too, is not a smooth move. I vowed to never wind up in that position again. Plus, I’m a tech writer! This is not how we do things. Which is why I was eager to try out Imation’s new LINK Power Drive.
Related: Our 5 essential portable chargers: Don’t leave home without one. Or more.
This 2-in-1 device provides extra power along with extra data storage for iOS devices, making it a cool, portable battery-meets external flash drive hybrid. Exactly what iDevice users on the go (ahem, me) need.
It’s nice and compact for travel at just under 3-inches wide with a neat 3,000 mAh-rechargeable battery (as in pretty powerful) that lets you charge while you’re streaming, downloading all those photos or uploading documents to and from your iPhone or iPod Touch. In other words, no need to sit impatiently counting the minutes until you can get back on Instagram.
In addition to how portable the little box is, I also like that you don’t need to carry any extra cords or cables. Both the Lightning and USB cables are attached to the Power Drive. In fact, the short cables are so neatly tucked away that I kind of had to hunt for them.
Good news was, when I found them, I also discovered where the ON/OFF power switch was located. I had been looking for it! The darn thing is hidden between the cable heads, so now you know and won’t be pressing the battery level indicator button like me.
I get that Imation is trying to be smart and neat with the design of the LINK Power Drive, but the hidden aspect ended up earning the thing a demerit from me. (Yes, I could have just read the Guide Book, but I prefer my tech gadgets and gear to be intuitive.)
However, the LINK Power Drive did earn back points from me after seeing how quickly it was able to charge my iPhone 6. So fast, that I forgot to time it — *sad trombone* — but that’s pretty darn fast.
Related: Peri GoCharge: A mobile charger strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.
Important note: You will need to download the free companion Imation LINK app for iOS in order to get the data storage end of the Power Drive working properly; and the app is pretty straightforward.
Overall, I really liked this cool hybrid for those of you who want a little more from your portable charger than just charging when you’re out and about. Handy, fast, light, and easy: all winning words in my books.
The LINK Power Drive by Imation for iOS comes in 16, 32 or 64 GB storage, and is available on our affiliate Amazon starting at $110. Right now the 32GB is on sale for $97. Thanks to the company for sending a review unit.
