Kensington's travel companion is useful
Written: Aug 18 '09 (Updated Oct 07 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: additional battery capacity, low price, easy to use
Cons: somewhat flimsy when using iPhone, recharge time
The Bottom Line: A great albeit flimsy helper to bridge those times with your iPhone or iPod when no powersource is available for recharge.
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| theuerkorn's Full Review: Kensington Mini Battery Pack & Charger for iPhone |
So here I am on my trip and the iPhone 3G is nowhere close to a power outlet to be charged. Of course one always has the opportunity to simply pick up a book and let the Internet be something remote you need but not now. The alternative is to boost battery power to extend usage of the belove iPhone, and that's what the mini battery pack from Kensington does.
Generally speaking there is not much to discuss, it's a battery that charges your phone's battery. Nevertheless, the $40 are cheaper than most but still a lot of money to simply toss if it doesn't work.
The package includes the actual battery and one of thos gizmo retractable cables USB to miniUSB. The cable isn't essential and it might have been better to integrate a USB plug just like most USB memory sticks do, but it's okay to use and keeps the package small.
To my surprise, the Li-Ion battery came with an initial charge which was just enough to top off my iPhone. I still had a few hours in the airport and about 2 hours later the battery signaled 50% full (which could have been 70% or something like that as there are three blue LEDs to indicate charge level. The full status was reached in antoher 45 minutes when resuming charging later. (At the lowest level the red charge indicator blinks to warn it's basically empty)
Usage is is pretty easy though the standard iPod connector does accomodate medium thick covers and on my thin Feather case this mease it stand off the iPhone by about 1 mm. There is no other form of attachment and the contraption feels a bit flimsy to say the least -- at least if you're planning to use it as a phone. Due to the similar dimensions in width and height like the iPhone, it doesn' look as alien as one might expect, but it's by no means integrated either.
Overall, it's a great helper to extend the iPhone's battery life. It's not rugged by any means and if you're rough on your equipment this may not be the one for you. Nevertheless it's one of the cheapest ways to basically double the battery life of Apple's phone.
© 2009, theuerkorn
Recommended:
Yes
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