Travel gadgets to extend smartphone battery life

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- You're on the road and your phone goes dead. Sound familiar? Nearly half of vacationers say dead phone batteries are a problem, according to a Consumer Reports survey. For those times when you can't plug in, here are some smart new ways to keep your phone alive.

Now there are smartphone cases with a built-in battery. Consumer Reports tested four made for popular phones.

"The cases promise to protect your phone and add extra battery life, and they all do that," said Consumer Reports tester Bernie Deitrick.

For the iPhone 5 or 5s, testers found the $180 Mophie Space Pack almost doubled battery life. It also adds extra memory.

For the Samsung Galaxy S4, the $70 UNU Unity case also nearly doubled the phone's battery life.

"It is a little awkward to set up, but you never have to do it again. That double battery life is there forever," said Deitrick.

If you can't find a case that fits your phone, the Samsung Galaxy portable battery pack can charge any phone that uses a USB cable, as long as you remember to power up the pack ahead of time. It costs $100.

And if you can't get to an outlet or don't have electricity, Consumer Reports also tested some gadgets that actually generate power.

The Goal Zero Nomad 7 is a solar panel with a USB port. Unfold it in the sun to restore power to your phone. The Goal Zero Nomad 7 costs $80.

Also for $80, Goal Zero's Lighthouse 250 Lantern. Besides being a lantern and an emergency light, it has a large internal battery to charge your phone. When that battery's spent, you can use the hand crank to power up your phone.

Consumer Reports also has some tips for conserving battery life when you're far from power. First, try lowering your phone's screen brightness and turn off auto-updates. Use the GPS sparingly. And when there's no signal, put your phone in "airplane mode." That stops it from trying to connect, and turns off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile connections.