Road Warriors Must Have
New Trent Incredible Blackberry chargeable
I got this and use it all the time. Its about the size of an iPhone. I use it to recharge my iPhone and iPad when I am traveling and it works very well. It charges the iPhone in about an hour, iPad takes 2-3 hours. It's pretty sweet for those devices as you just need your iPhone charging cable and this device and you are good to go.
I have used it also to charge my wife's android phone. I will say that non-USB device charging is less perfect but still pretty good. It's less perfect because you need to use the included adapters and they are quite small and if you are not careful, you could easily lose them. I would like to see this product include some sort of tether mechanism to keep these pieces attached at all times, rather than having to carry them around separately. It's not like anybody cares about the look of this device, its all about function and it functions well.
I think this device is perfect for traveling. It's small, lightweight, carries an excellent charge and keeps your device going so you can play/work/whatever.
Category Article cell phone
I spent a lot of time researching different battery backups, and I've owned several, so I know the pros and cons of these things and this one is the best value and has the best features. First of all, it has a ton of power and is quick to charge. But probably the best features are the ones you don't think about. It can be charged with your computer instead of a wall outlet, in case you're low on plug adapters/converters (or just wall outlets!) It can also be charged with your iphone a/c adapter, so you only have to travel with one of those. It comes with adapters for other devices besides the iphone, so it can charge all your gadgets. It has lights on it that tell you how much power is left, which is helpful. The versatility of this device is what makes it uniquely superior to others on the market. A lot of thought went into the design of this product, and you won't be disappointed!
For my iPhone4s, it recharged the phone from near dead 4x
What I was really interested in was the ability to recharge my iPad2 (especially for long overseas trips). Ran an experiment with my iPad2 as follows:
- Completely drained NewTrent battery pack
- Completely recharged it
- Ran iPad2 down to 8% charge remaining
- Plugged in NewTrent battery pack
- Restored the iPad2 battery to 82% capacity before the NewTrent pack finally gave up
(Note that they clearly state 65% of iPad2 battery life, so my experimental results exceeded their spec)
Based on sample of (1), and with 11hrs of typical battery life on my iPad2, the Newtrent IMP70D would extend the iPad2 useful charge time to a total if 20 hrs...
Thumbs up...
I don't usually post reviews but this is just an incredibly handy, useful and powerful external battery, stores a lot of juice. Can charge many of your portable toys many times over as long as it can charge via USB or mini USB. Great customer service too. Even better now with free shipping. Indispensable for a family travelling with many gadgets. We're on our way to Europe and are facing many flight delays, glad to take this along. Just buy it, you won't regret it.
The imax power IMP500 has been a lifesaver. I first use it on a trip flying to New York
and it didn't disappoint. The battery power makes that little bunny look weak. I watched Dark Knight movie and played games on my ipod touch and when we landed it still had plenty of battery reserve. The set up was easy and I have been using it for over a year and I don't have any problems or complains at all. I wish more products worked this well.
I bought the IMP70D battery pack right before a long trip after quite a bit of research and after a brief experience with a friend's IMP99D, which saved the day. I chose the IMP70D because of its flatter and cleaner form factor despite the slightly lower battery capacity. It does exactly as promised, reliably charging all manner of devices from iPhones to iPads (simultaneously) and of course non-Apple products as well. Included in the package is a relatively short pigtail cord with standard USB on one end and mini/micro USB adapters on the other. Be aware that a wall transformer is not included in the package -- your existing Apple mini-cube transformer or other USB power source will do the trick. One feature this newer model has that the older ones apparently do not have is a smart sensing (power saving) capability which turns off the battery pack once your device is fully charged. Interestingly, the IMP70D does not get hot when charging (or discharging), likely a sign of good power and thermal regulation, which should lead to a longer service life. Some of the previous generation battery packs had cooling vents but this one appears to not need them. Overall a solid product that will keep you mobile.
I have several external battery charging devices for my iPhone and iPad. The IMP70D is a solid external battery that you can charge from a USB port. Since it has a 7000 mAh capacity, it can charge an iPhone at least three times before needing to be recharged. When my iPad is at a half charge, I have used this external battery to bring it to a full charge. There are two USB charging ports to charge the iPad and the iPhone.
This power unit is very lightweight and relatively small. I also have the higher powered IMP99D. I am impressed by the New Trent products. They are reliable and do their intended job very well. The IMP70D is more than adequate while traveling. I have also found that their customer support is helpful
Pros:
- IMP70D does not continue draining after you charge the iPhone or iPad
- It is small (4.4 x 3.4 x 0.6 in) and lightweight (8 oz)
- The indicator lights are not overly bright that they become disturbing at night
- It will work with many different devices
- It has 2 USB charging ports that allow for the lower current for an iPhone or the higher current of an iPad
- Seems durable
Cons:
- So far, there is nothing that is negative
Conclusion:
I have tried the Duracell external battery (1150 mAh), Mobile Power Station (1000mAh), and the Unioo Mobile Power (800 mAh). The Duracell is good for an extra 3 hours of talk time. But, all the other ones are too low capacity to be useful for traveling. The New Trent IMP70D is clearly the battery to get if you need a lightweight, small external battery for traveling as well as to keep with you when not traveling.
New Trent has lower capacity and higher capacity batteries that may be useful depending on your needs. I would not hesitate to buy any of the other batteries. In fact, I purchased 2 IMP70D batteries and 2 higher capacity New Trent batteries.
In browsing for accessories for my Kindle Fire, I stumbled on the IMP50D and almost bought it, until I saw the IMP70D for not much more money. The IMP70D is a little bigger, but with its higher capacity and 2.1A port, it's more appropriate for the Fire or other power-hungry devices.
The ports they have provided on this are ideal for use with the Fire. You charge the unit via the microUSB port -- use the charger you already have for your Fire, or any microUSB cable -- and then you can use the provided cable, or the microUSB cable you probably already bought for your Fire, to charge your Fire. For those whose devices don't already use microUSB, cables and chargers are common so you can pick one that suits your needs. I like the little wall-wart-with-usb-port chargers since they can work with basically anything. One of those and the supplied USB cable will get your IMP70D charged. Having the second port available to charge your phone at the same time is a nice plus.
The USB cable supplied, while functional if you have nothing else, is really not ideal. Since it is coiled and not very long, it doesn't really let you use your device while it's charging, and its length makes it tough to use it to charge the IMP70D itself. But some people might appreciate the compact convenience of two cables in one.
I was able to charge my Fire from 10% to full in less than 4 hours. This took the IMP70D's capacity down to about half as measured by its status LEDs. Using an app called "Battery Monitor Widget" I have seen the current going to charge the battery varying between 725mA (when in use) and 1900mA (when sleeping) so while this is not an exact method, it seems that the 2.1A port can definitely put out the rated current.
Some reviewers have been disappointed by the usable capacity of these power packs, when they just count how many full charges of their devices they get based on their individual battery capacities. Keep in mind that both the output circuitry of the power pack and the charging circuitry of your other device take power. There is no perfect transfer of power from one battery to the other.
I was a bit confused by the need to turn the battery pack "on". I expected it to always be ready to supply power anytime I plugged something in. But after connecting your device you have to push the button to start it charging. And then it will turn off automatically after you unplug your device -- or presumably when its current draw drops low enough. Since you can't see on the unit when it is "on" you may be surprised when it doesn't charge your device. One other downside is that it does not appear it will output any power while it is charging itself, which would be convenient.
Physically the unit is lighter in weight than I expected which is good. The shape doesn't really match any other devices, which is kind of odd, but you can still fit it in a pocket so it is pretty portable. You can't tell from the pictures how glossy it is - I'd prefer a matte finish that wouldn't show scratches and fingerprints. And the status LEDs, while handy to have, really are hard to interpret at a glance because they're so bright and close together.
In short, if you want to extend your Fire's battery life by at least one full charge, the IMP70D will handle it, and let you charge your cell phone at the same time as a bonus. You just need to figure out a good way to carry it along with your Fire.