Seidio, one of the world’s leading providers of cell phone and mobile device accessories, recently released a new product: the Seidio Charging Vault. This device functions as not only a replacement wall charger for your devices, but the plug itself is an extended battery. Here’s how it works:

1. Replace your standard wall charger for your phone with the Charging Vault
2. Plug in your phone using the retractable, multi-head USB cable (iPhone / standard smartphone plug)
3. Let the Power Vault / phone charge overnight

And voila! In the morning, not only will your phone be charged, but you’ll also have a 2200 mAh battery in your pocket for the rest of the day. It’s a tiny bit bulky, but if you’re a power hog like me, it’s worth the extra bulge in your pocket (Come on now, let’s be grown ups about this).

I had the opportunity to review one of these over the past week or so and I have to say this: “it’s a life saver!” More than once, my battery has started to hit that dreaded yellow/red area where you know it’s just a matter of minutes before it goes kaput. For the last week, it was as simple as plugging my phone into the Charging Vault in my pocket and going along my way. It may have looked a little strange with a random cable coming out of my pocket and then being plugged into my Evo 3D, but I didn’t notice any specific looks from anyone.

There is one thing to keep in mind with this device: if you plan on using your phone while it’s charging on the Vault, don’t also expect to have it put a charge into your battery. While a great device, it simply can’t keep your phone going on heavy usage and charge your battery at the same time. It will go up, but not so much that you’ll be able to be online, texting, watching movies, and filling up that battery of yours. But ultimately, if you’re expecting that out of anything, you’re probably expecting too much. As long as the Vault keeps my phone going when it’s about to die (which it does), it serves its purpose.

However, if you’re looking to juice that phone of yours back up, you’ll also be pleasantly surprised; with my Evo 3D off completely, the Vault charged my phone up from 15% to 100% in a mere 55 minutes. This was surprising in more than one way: not only was the vault able to charge my phone completely in what I consider a short amount of time, it was also able to recognize that there was a phone plugged into it, even though the phone was off. I didn’t think this would be the case as it can recognize when there is nothing plugged into it, but I was happy to see that to not be the reality of it.

So, all in all, I would call this device a must-have for power hungry, moderate-to-heavy phone users such as myself. It can be a saving grace for all those times you run out of juice in a place where you can’t find a juice station (electrical outlet, that is), and will make you the go-to guy for people who are in the same situation, whether they be Android, Blackberry, or iPhone users. It should be noted that the Vault is not compatible with the Motorola Droid Bionic, and is not recommended for use with tablets. Be sure to hit up seidio.com to see all their awesome products, and hit up the page here for the Charging Vault itself, which retails for $59.99 (but it’s currently on sale for $10.00 off!).