Daily deal – Energizer Energi To Go iPod/iPhone charger pack for $10

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s daily deal is for the Energizer Energi To Go portable power pack for the iPod and iPhone.

This battery powered dock can deliver up to 2 full charges for your device, depending on the model.

A fully charged set of batteries will bring your iPod or iPhone back to 100% in 2-3 hours.

Included with the device are 2 lithium batteries, any kind of battery will work, but these lithium batteries provide the most power.

The Energi To Go charger normally retails for about $30, but is currently on sale at buy.com for just $9.99, with free shipping!

Product review – Solio Magnesium edition hybrid battery charger

by Scott Carmichael on

We’ve covered Solio before here on Gadling, so when they announced their most advanced charger ever, I just had to take it for a spin.

The new Solio Magnesium edition hybrid charger features a 3-panel solar charger. AC charging option and the ability to charge USB powered devices as well as any device covered by one of the thousands of options offered by the addition of iGo power tips.

The package comes very complete – the charger, an AC adapter with an assortment of international plugs, a female USB charging cable, an iGo charging cable, a bag full of iGo tips, a hemp carrying bag, and a pencil (more on the pencil later).

Before using the Solio, you bring its battery to 100% using the AC adapter, then when you are off the beaten path, and away from good old AC power, you give it a clear view of the sun, and it recharges itself. To charge your gadgets, you simply plug them into the miniUSB port on the side, using the female USB cable, or one of the included iGo tips. If none of the included tips fit your device, you can order the correct one from iGo.com.

So, how well does it work? I decided to use the Solio to keep my phone powered for a week, and it really did perform quite well.

On Sunday, I topped it up to 100% using the AC charger, and every night I’d charge my phone. In the morning, I placed it outside on a table. It was at that point I finally discovered what the pencil is for – it lifts the charger up to the right angle. Of course, had I actually sat down to read the manual, I would have known this all along.

Each night, I pressed the power button, and most nights, the green LED light would flash 5 times, an indication that the battery was back to 100%. Thanks to the power of the sun, I was keeping my phone going without any need for AC power.

The Solio magnesium edition is not cheap – at $169.95 I’d even say it is pretty expensive. But if you travel places where regular and reliable AC power is a luxury, it may be worth the money. The kit is very complete and once inside its carrying case, the entire package weighs just 9oz (265 grams), which is extremely light when you consider that includes the AC charger and an assortment of international plugs and power tips.

There are a couple of downsides to the Solio Magnesium Edition – to charge it, you need a lot of sun. The 2 times I had a cloudy day meant that the charger did not reach 100%, this isn’t a big issue if you travel to a nice sunny location, but don’t expect to generate a lot of power in places with less than decent weather.

Also, the device sometimes had a hard time powering my more hungry gadgets – an iPod or iPhone is just fine, but when I tried to top off my backup battery pack, nothing happened. The amount of power you can suck out of the Solio Magnesium edition is about 1800mAh, which is about enough for a 100% charge of an iPhone. If you completely drain the Solio, you’ll need at least 2-3 full sunny days to get it back to 100%.

The Solio Magnesium edition is available directly from Solio, or one of their retail partners.

Daily deal – Kensington 120W universal AC laptop adapter for $30

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for a Kensington laptop AC adapter. This device can deliver laptop power up to 120W, making it idea for most machines, including those that require a little extra juice, like 17″ laptops.

The adapter comes with power tips for Dell, HP, Compaq, IBM, Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, Gateway and Acer laptop computers.

A charger like this is idea if you need a cheap replacement or spare power adapter for your laptop. The Kensington 120W universal AC laptop adapter is on sale at Frys.com for just $30, and comes with free shipping. Of course, with a price this low you do need to know that the charger has been refurbished, which means it was once returned to the vendor, but has been returned to its “as new” condition.

At a price this low, I can highly recommend picking one up and keeping it around, “just in case”. Laptop adapters are often one of the things people tend to forget at their hotel, and an original replacement adapter for most laptops can cost as much as $100.

The new Callpod Fueltank is twice as nice to your gadgets

by Scott Carmichael on

In a previous review, I introduced you to the Chargepod. The company behind that fantastic 6-in-1 charger has now developed a portable battery pack that looks equally impressive.

The Fueltank can charge 2 devices at the same time and uses the same charger adapters as on the Chargepod.

At just $59.95 it is in line with the price of most portable power packs, but of course has the added benefit of offering twice the power!

The purchase price includes the device itself, an AC/DC wall plug, one Mini USB adapter, a carrying pouch, and a coupon for a free adapter of your choice.

The Fueltank will be available soon, and you can register your interest in this device directly on the Callpod site.

As soon as I can get my hands on one, I’ll get you a full review, but on paper, this look like a real winner.

Product review – Chargepod multi device charger

by Scott Carmichael on

In this product review, I’m going to introduce you to the Chargepod multi device charger. The Chargepod is a product from Callpod, and it has 7 connectors; one for powering the device itself, and 6 for charging your electronics. Each connector holds an small removable adapter with the appropriate plug for your gadget.

In the version I am reviewing, the package comes with an AC (wall) charger and a car charger cord. There are some people (like myself) who will usually find themselves on the road with far too many gadgets. The hassle of carrying multiple chargers as well as extension cords and power splitters gets greater with each new gadget. It is however not unthinkable that even the most novice gadgeteer will have at least a mobile phone, a Bluetooth headset and and iPod in their luggage.

With the Chargepod, you simply carry the power adapter, the Chargepod itself, and the power adapters you need for your devices. Then, to charge them, you simply connect the Chargepod to an outlet, insert the power adapters and plug your gadgets in. The Chargepod then charges up to 6 devices at the same time.

Callpod, who make the Chargepod, have 48 different power adapters, and since some of these can be used for multiple devices, the product covers close to 500 different phones, PDA’s, smartphones, gaming consoles and more. If you can’t find the correct power adapter for your device, but you do have a USB cable, then you can purchase a female USB plug power adapter and plug the cable into that.

In my personal travel bag, I carry the Chargepod with tips for a Nintendo DS, Garmin GPS unit, Plantronics headset, a Blackberry, Nokia phones, 2 HTC smartphones, an iPod and a female USB tip for recharging my backup battery pack. The Chargepod replaces 7 different chargers, plus I can use it to charge all my devices at the same time, instead of having to play a boring game of outlet bingo.

The Chargepod kit I carry in my luggage weighs 15 ounces which includes the Chargepod itself, the AC and car chargers and 12 different power tips, as well as the carrying pouch.

You can purchase the Chargepod in 2 versions; a basic kit with the AC charger and the Chargepod, or a bundle kit with the Chargepod, AC and car chargers and an assortment of adapters.

If the bundle pack does not contain any of the power adapters you need, then you are better off with the basic version, and configuring your own kit. The basic kit costs $39.95 and the bundle kit costs $79.95. Each additional power adapter is $9.95 (all MSRP). You can purchase the Chargepod through Amazon, where it retails with a substantial discount; ($32.99 for the basic kit or $47.99 for the bundle kit)

I’ve come to depend heavily on my Chargepod, both for its ease of use as well as the convenience of being able to leave a bag full of power bricks at home. The included AC adapter works on 100-240 Volts, so with the appropriate plug converter it can be used anywhere in the world. The only minor annoyances with he product are that the prongs on the AC charger do not fold in, making it quite bulky, and that the carrying pouch is not always spacious enough to hold all the parts. Other than that, I can highly recommend the Chargepod for its ease of use.