Tuesday 10 April 2012

Charge it!

Probably the biggest deficiency of mobile devices is the battery life. Anyone who makes extensive use of the full functionality on a device like an iPhone will face the dreaded low battery warning long before the end of the day. Unless I know I can charge my iPhone during the day from the mains or my laptop I always carry a portable charger, basically a Lithium Polymer battery with a cable to connect to the iPhone.

Powerfreakz Evolution Solar 3000
and Evolution 2500
A couple of years ago I reviewed the Powerfreakz Solar Charger and the team at Powerfreakz were kind enough to send me examples of their new solar charger, the Powerfreakz Evolution 3000 Solar, and its non solar sibling, the Powerfreakz Evolution 2500 to review. Both chargers are charged up via the mains, however the 3000 Solar can also be charged via sunlight or, if close enough, an artificial light. The 3000 is the bigger unit, weighing in at 114g and the 2500 comes in at 88g. Each device is supplied in a case with an array of charging tips for the usual suspects; Apple 30 pin, micro USB, mini USB, Nokia, Samsung etc. The mains power adaptor comes with four adaptors to cover most of the world.

In use both chargers do a good job giving my iPhone 4S another lease of life; around three hours to charge the iPhone and this uses up most of the capacity of the chargers.

The 3000 Solar is more versatile however I prefer the compact design of the 2500 - it's small enough to slip in a pocket.


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