Movie lovers best friend - Gadling reviews the Kensington travel battery pack for the iPhone and iPod Touch
Regular readers will know that I'm a huge fan of portable chargers that can keep my gadgets running way past their normal battery life. In this review, I'll show you a neat little iPhone/iPod Touch charger that doubles as a viewing base.
The "Kensington Travel Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod touch" features a Lithium-Ion battery pack, flip stand and integrated USB connector for recharging the pack itself. Inside the pack is an 1100mAh battery - enough to double the battery capacity of most iPhone and iPod models.
The built in USB plug connects to any USB charger or USB port on your computer. A full recharge takes just over two hours and 5 LEDs's show the charging status.
To use the pack, you simply flip open the lid, and plug it into the dock connector of your device. The top of the lid is at the perfect angle for viewing a movie, which is just as well, because you can't change its angle. The stand has a rubber non-slip pad, which helps keep your iPod and its battery pack in place.
There really isn't much more to add about this product - it works exactly as described, is nice and compact (a mere 2.2 ounces) and can double the run-time of your device.
At $69.99, it does not come cheap - and other products (including some from Kensington) often provide a larger battery capacity. That said - this is the first dual-purpose charger/stand I have ever reviewed, and the added bonus does help justify the price.
The good news is that most Kensington retailers have managed to shave almost $30 off the price - and stores like Amazon and buy.com are selling it for just $40.
PROS: Extremely compact, great for viewing movies
CONS: Limited 1100mAh battery capacity, MSRP is fairly high compared to other products.
You'll find the Kensington Travel Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod touch on their site - and at most Kensington retailers.
Filed under: Gadling Gear Review
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
acetracer Feb 8th 2010 3:01PM
Monoprice sells a 1900mAh battery pack for $9
Kevin Evans Apr 30th 2010 10:49AM
We reviewed a couple similar devices, but the one I really recommend is the Mophie Juice Pack which doubles up as a sleek stylish protective case as well as a high capacity battery (no I don't work for Mophie - it's just a great product).
We also reviewed the Richard Solo 1800 which is similar to the Kensington in that it's an ugly plug in that I worry will get knocked and break off.
http://www.thetraveleditor.com/article/3432/Product_Reviews_Mophie_Juice_Pack_Air_rechargeable_battery_for_iPhone_3G.html
http://www.thetraveleditor.com/article/2190/Product_Reviews_Richard_Solo_1800_Back_up_battery_for_your_iPhone.html