Idapt Modulo battery packs provide power and expandability

Most smartphones and tablets today have integrated batteries with no ability to easily swap them out when they die. There are now many portable battery alternatives and one that I have been using for the last month offers quite a bit for a very reasonable price.

The Idapt Modulo battery began as a Kickstarter campaign that went way above and beyond the original pledge amount. The batteries were designed in Spain and made in China.

Each Modulo has a capacity of 2,100 mAh and is quite compact with dimensions of 85 x 50 x 10 mm and 69 grams). What makes them a bit unique is that you can stack up to five Modulos with a combined capacity of 10,500 mAh and charge up just about any tablet, smartphone, or device that allows charging via a USB cable. You can also get 2,500 mAh Modulo units.

The Modulo is plain on three sides with one end having a USB port, microUSB port, and power button. You will see two connector pieces on bottom of the Modulo and these are where the connections to stacked units is made. On the top you will find an indicator light that lets you quickly check to see the charging status of the Modulo.

When you stack the Modulos you will see that they attach very securely. Power output from one Modulo is 1.2 amps and when stacked the output rises up to 2.4 mAh. Idapt states that over 5,000 different devices can be charged with the Modulo battery pack.

Each Modulo package, available for $25, comes with a Modulo battery, one skin, one Smart Attach piece, and a short (about 3 inches) microUSB cable. The skins are stickers available in black, green, pink, yellow, and blue that you can use to make it easier to find your Modulo if you have it in a bag or drawer. You can buy a five-skin pack for $5.

The Smart Attach piece is a sticky piece of material that you can attach to the back of your device to hold the Modulo on while you charge up your device. If it collects dirt then you can just rinse it off with water to get it back to a sticky condition again.

Idapt has — and will soon have more — accessories for the Modulo too. These include a solar receiver, Qi wireless receiver so you can charge up the Modulo via your Qi charging plate, crank charging Modulo, and dual cable Module attachment.

Idapt has smart charging technology built into the Modulo so when you have multiple Modulos stacked up the Modulo plugged in closest to your device is discharged first. You can charge up both your device and Modulo at the same time as well.