Portable

Eneloop Adds Sophistication to Portable Chargers

Eneloop ChargerIn the past, portable charging devices running off a couple of AA batteries have been, for the most part, dodgy. You could pick them up in supermarkets for $10 and they wouldn’t have given you anywhere near enough power to switch your dead phone back on.

Sanyo has brought the battery-powered charger into 2010 by introducing their new Eneloop charging device. The Eneloop runs off AA batteries, but rechargeable Ni-Mh AAs, rather than disposable ones, that can be recharged by plugging the Eneloop into your laptop or other USB charger.

The Eneloop has immediately put itself a cut above its competition by supplying very high quality Ni-Mh cells with the charger that don’t leak over time. …

Scosche’s flipSYNC is a charger/connector cable that fits on your keychain

Scosche flipSYNC

No longer do you have to forget that confounded charging cable for your phone or MP3 player. flipSYNC goes where you go, well as long as you take your keys, because it folds up nicely to fit on your keychain.

There are 2 flipSYNC models: a 3 connector model (model# USBMM) with 1 micro USB, 1 mini USB and a standard USB type A connector; and a 2 connector version (model# IPUSBM) for iPhones and iPods.

Buy now!
Price: $15.99 for iPhones. $17.99 for general USB devices.
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

FreeLoader Portable Solar Charger – Power Your Electronic Gadgets via the Sun

We recently reviewed the iTech SolarCharger 906, and here’s another similar portable solar charger, the FreeLoader. Like the iTech, the FreeLoader can either be charged up via the Sun’s rays or from a more conventional power source.

It has a 1000mAh Li-ion battery to hold its charger and comes with 11 adapater tips to supply power to a variety of electronic devices. The FreeLoader is about the same price as the SolarCharger 906, but we like that the SolarCharger come with a protective case and a windshield car mount.

Buy now!
Price: $49.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

MSI Wind U110 Netbook has a 14-hour Battery Life

MSI continues to be a leader in the Netbook market, now with their MSI Wind U110 ECO. The #1 selling point is has to be its extensive battery life – this one claims over 14 hours! And all this is from a regular six cell battery.

The Wind U110 runs on a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 CPU, 1GB RAM and with Windows XP Home (in case you’re afraid of Windows 7 too). It sports a 10″ 1024×600 WSVGA screen on top of an Intel GMA500 graphics card, a 160GB SATA drive and weighs in at 3.2lbs.

It is 1.24” at its widest, the 10” LCD screen is backlit, it has a high-res web cam, double speakers, a built-in microphone and Bluetooth.

Buy now!
Price: $394.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Review: iTech SolarCharger 906 – portable solar charger

There are numerous portable battery backup solutions out there that come in various sizes, shapes and function. iTech makes one that falls into the ‘green’ category. How? By being rechargeable via solar energy. The SolarCharger 906 is a compact iPhone-sized (approx 4″ x 2.5″ x 0.6″) solar panel that holds 1,260mAh of power.

You can either charge up the 906 via a USB cable but of course, its star power (pardon the pun) is to be recharged via the sun’s rays. The 906 comes with a clear plastic cradle that is very securely connected and suction cups that you can use to attach it to your car’s windscreen. There’s also a car-kit.

The SolarCharger 906 has 4 blue LED lights on it that shows the degree to which it is charged up. Unfortunately, it takes over 20 hours to get fully charged up via sunlight, but iTech claims that it can keep a full charge for up to a year. So far, we’ve found that it does keep a charge for a week.

It also comes with 10 different power adapter tips including ones for LG, Nokia, Nintendo, Samsung, and Sony phones, Sony PSP and a few different USB tips (supports iPhone, iPods, Motorola and Blackberrys).

You can simultaneously charge a device while the 906 is charging via sunlight. Theoretically, you can keep the 906 running indefinitely if it gets enough sunshine.

We really liked iTech’s SolarCharger 906, but have to say that it is ideal for those folks that have their cars outside for a significant amount of time daily and use their portable devices enough to warrant an emergency backup. People that don’t fit this description may not get their money’s worth from the SolarCharger, although the 1 time you absolutely need your phone recharged, you may think just that!

MovieWedge – props up your portable video player

Do you have a portable video player? Do you find it a pain to hold it or to try to find something that’s just right to lean it against to watch a movie? Well, look no more. The MovieWedge is a triangular beanbag that can be used with practically any portable video/mp3 player and on practically any surface. As it’s a beanbag, you can adjust the viewing angle however you like.

One other bonus – the soft microsuede covering can be used to clean the screen of your player.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $9.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

IDC Ecco Intelligent Digital Compass Personal Pocket GPS Locator

Want a GPS but want something even smaller? Then take a look at Ecco’s portable GPS fob that fits on your keychain. The Ecco can store 3 locations and find locations in seconds by pulling in info from 32 satellites within 60 secs. It uses rechargeable batteries and shows direction arrows and distance.

Never get lost again!

Buy now!

Price: $89.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Microsoft ‘Arc’ Mouse – Folding Portable Mouse

Arc Portable Mouse

Microsoft have announced their latest addition to the portable mouse market – the Arc™ Mouse; a mouse which can fold away to 60% of its size to be carried and can be unfolded to make a comfortable pointing device for your laptop. The mouse utilizes laser technology for extra precision over optical, broadcasts over 2.4Ghz, allowing it to control your laptop from 30ft. away (should you ever need to have your mouse so far away from your laptop!) and features 4 customizable buttons with another button for switching between windows.

Originally designed with the ever-increasing notebook market in mind, the Arc Mouse would make a great addition to any computer or game console where space is an issue, but style is demanded – it comes in black or red to suit your personality.

Buy now!

Price: $49.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Latest Apple Rumour – iTablet?

iTablet Rumour

Rumours from Apple are common, but a few of them do seem to come true – perhaps this is one of them! I am a bit skeptical about Apple releasing the ‘iCar’ that I heard about last year though! However, the latest offering in the rumor scene is some sort of Apple Tablet (could it be called the iTablet?) to compete within the ultra-portable computing market to provide something a little bigger and more powerful than an iPhone, yet not as big as their MacBooks.

There have been reports of the tablet featuring a 9.7inch screen and costing around $800. With the netbook and tablet market growing at such a fast rate at the moment I personally think that this device will be made, as Apple will want a piece of this market. As for the picture, I hope this is just a satirical piece of Photoshopping.

Scroll to Top