Banking for Power Junkies

    Have you ever heard of a power bank? If you haven't, then I'm hear to say this post is for you. There are several different kinds of power banks, but they all mostly do the same thing. The main function of the bank is to store things, so the power bank sort of fills its definition out on its own. There isn't much to them, except that they vary in size and battery type, but they are mainly used for phones and small devices.

    Most people have a power bank just lying around, but tend not to use them vary often. It's sort of like the, "As Seen On TV" items, which you can get at any odd-shop or Wally World near you. You may wonder, "is it something that is worth more than ten dollars?" My guess is no, unless you have very specific needs for traveling long distances, or even being without power for several hours. If you need a fully charged phone on a hike, then the bank is probably for you. It's not that the banks are bad, it's just that most people tend to waste twenty to thirty dollars on a device that they use once for a trip, put it in a box after they get back, forget about it even after they bought another one for the next trip two years later, and finally find it when they are cleaning out a tote full of unneeded gadgets and gizmos. But, the power bank can be really helpful when it is needed.

    After questioning the usefulness of the power bank, I began to wonder about how it affects the device it is charging. I found a useful website page titled, "Everything You Should Know About Power Banks," from helpdeskgeek.com. I definitely recommend reading this post, if you have any interest in reforming your power bank usage. The author, Aseem Kishore, was very thorough in his examination of power banks, which is exactly the type of information we are looking for here at Learning Notions. I would say the most interesting section from this page is the bit of information about how power banks can explode, or even catch fire. It's very dangerous, and could even be life threatening, especially if you are asleep when it happens.

    Another section in the Helpdeskgeek page is on the battery depletion aspect, meaning that the overuse of power banks can actually diminish your battery life, which shows that the bank is a double edged sword. On one hand, it charges your phone. On the other hand, it ages your battery well beyond its normal capacity. And if you think that's not enough to make you question your use of power banks, then look on further to the next line in this blog post. The staff at Dealna.com wrote a whole post about the ramifications of power bank usage to your phone, marked, "Power Banks – What Impact They Have On Your Phone’s Battery," which might be enough to shift your eyes in the direction of the trash can, when thinking about where to store the miniature power sucking bomb/flamethrower.

    Granted, I know this is just an opinion, and I'm usually not one to take sides, so if I feel like I need to use a power bank, I will grab one of the book shelf in my house and go to town. Literally, where I may need to spend hours at the park, writing, reading, or playing Pokémon Go. I hope this post was informative, or at least gave you some resources when thinking about something else in your everyday life. However, if you find that power banks work for you, and you haven't had problems with them in the past, then you should definitely continue to use them, especially since you may have learned something that might turn your head towards the bank, when it begins to get too hot.