Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compact backup power source, February 23, 2009
Sometimes when you travel there is no USB port on a laptop or AC outlet on a wall that is available to power your electronic devices when their battery charges start running low. This product is perfect for those situations. It is nice and compact, and comes with multiple adaptors to power and/or recharge a wide variety of electronic products. The included adaptors provide a backup for my iPod Touch 2G, iPod Nano 2G, Samsung cell phone, bluetooth headset, Garmin Forerunner 305, and Garmin Nuvi 660.
Additional adaptors for other gadgets(such as for the Amazon Kindle) are available at a modest price.
Here are a few comments to keep in mind:
1. You can charge only one item at a time. Therefore when you reach your destination and have access to an AC outlet, if you wish to charge multiple items simultaneously, this is not the item to do that (I recommend the Callpod, which I have reviewed on Amazon).
2. If you have a USB AC adaptor that you use for your iPod Touch or Nano, it will work fine to charge this unit. There is no need to buy a separate adaptor.
3. Once the unit is fully charged, you can just leave it plugged in to the charging source (I checked with Tekkeon tech support, which is very helpful and responds quickly). That way you can be sure that the unit will always have a full charge when you need it.
4. This unit will not power a laptop or comparable electronic product. But Tekkeon does sell more powerful (and more expensive) units that will do so.
5. I chose this unit rather than the less expensive MP 1550, which runs on AA or rechargeable batteries, because in my experience I have found that a power source with its own internal battery lasts longer than one relying on batteries. Of course, the flip side is that once this unit runs out of power, you can't just pop some fresh batteries in. However, that is not an issue for me, though something that you may want to consider.
This product looks nice, is simple to operate, and does what it says. I am very happy with it.
Update August 22, 2009: I like this so much that I use it at home on a daily basis. The unit has two USB ports--a mini and a regular. Using the included retractable cable, I plug one end into the mini on the unit and the other end (which has a regular USB) into an Apple travel charger that is plugged into the wall. That way this unit is always at full charge if I take it on a trip. I use the free regular USB port on the unit to charge a variety of devices (though one at a time) that come with a USB cable, such as my BlackBerry and iPod Touch. It is more convenient for me to charge them on this unit than to plug them into my laptop (which I do only when I need to sync data).
I have also found the built in flashlight on this unit a nice feature to have when rummaging through my bags looking for some gizmo that I can't find.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent portable power source, December 18, 2008
Like many people, I live in constant fear of running out of power for my portable devices. Well, okay, maybe fear is too strong a term, but particularly when I travel in this era of hours long airline delays, I am concerned about my must-have devices, like my cell phone and media player, running out of juice.
Yes, you can buy extra batteries (and even with the Tekkeon MP1800, that may not be a bad idea), but the Tekkeon MP1800 gives you lots of back-up power in a very small, lightweight package.
Tekkeon says the unit will give you 12 hours of talk time on a smart phone, 6 hours on a portable media player and so on. I wouldn't trust the projections all that much, but based on the specifications and my limited experience so far, I'd say it is totally reasonable to presume you'll get 4 - 6 hours or more time out of any small device.
The Tekkeon MP1800 can either be a source of direct power to the device or act as a recharger for the device battery. The unit measures 3.3" x 2.1" x 1.1" and weighs 4.5 ounces. It is delivered with eight adapter tips for Blackberry, iPhone/iPod, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. With the increasing shift to the miniUSB port, however, I find that is all I need. The unit also has a flashlight, though it is relatively low-powered and cannot be used while the unit is powering another device. A lanyard is also provided.
The MP1800 has a 4,000 mAh capacity. I recharged a cell phone battery using it in about two hours, bringing it from about a 20% charge to full. According to the simple diode system on the MP1800, I still had more than 70% of the internal battery's charge remaining, more than enough to recharge the phone again or another device.
The unit has a voltage regulator to protect the devices you attach it to, a nice protective touch.
The unit is supplied with a retractable USB cord which is used both for charging from your computer and for attaching to whatever device you are going to power. Tekkeon says it takes about 8 hours to recharge the MP1800. Since it takes a standard 5v input, I strong suggest you get both car lighter and wall AC USB power adapters. Tekkeon doesn't say anything about this, but I suspect these items would provide speedier charging.
Tekkeon, by the way, has excellent customer support. I wrote them about a very small issue I had with another of their products and they responded quickly and very helpfully.
At its modest price, the Tekkeon provides a nicely designed portable power package. Small and light, you can drop it in your bag and not notice it - until youneed it, at which time you will be thankful for it. There are few things as excruciating being stuck, for example, at an airport with a dead cell phone.
Jerry
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product for the money!, September 1, 2009
I previously had a Mophie Juice Pack Air. The problem with that was:
1) Didn't play well with an iPhone with invisible skin
2) Crappy mAh capacity
I looked for an alternative and narrowed my search down to this Tekkeon and the Kensington external battery pack.
The size of the Tekkeon isn't too bulky or heavy, nor does it make my pockets bulge out. I actually performed a mini-test to see how well it would charge the 3GS.
Here's my test:
1) Test to see if there is any juice left in the Tekkeon: Nope
2) Fully charge the Tekkeon from a red to green light.
3) Unplug the Tekkeon for a few hours to stimulate real-time usage
4) I started at 75% and ended at 100%. Net: +25%
Conditions: phone on, wifi on, brightness 33%
beejive running in background, email fetch set to 15 mins
read & answered emails, chatted on beejive
Started at 61%, ended at 100%. Net: +39%
phone on, wifi on, brightness 33%
beejive running in background, email fetch set to 15 mins
read emails, text msg, chatted on beejive
Started at 65%, ended at 100%. Net: +35%
phone on, wifi on, brightness 33%
beejive running in background, email fetch set to 15 mins
chatted on beejive, read and sent emails, test msg
Started at 55%, ended at 100%. Net: +45%
phone on, wifi on, brightness 33%
beejive running in background, email fetch set to 15 mins
heavy chatting on beejive, heavy safari browsing, reading email, moderate text messaging
Started at 53%, ended at 84%. Net: +31%
phone on, wifi on, brightness 33%
beejive running in background, email fetch set to 15 mins
text message, beejive chatting
*Note: Several hours passed between each charge to stimulate real-time usage.
Conclusion:
For a total net of +175% while the 3GS was under moderate to heavy usage, the Tekkeon is AWESOME! The Tekkeon is rated at 4400 mAh compared to 1200 mAh in the Mophie Juice Pack Air. The only issue I have, which is not about the product, is the 30-pin to USB cable being so long. There are short ones (8-10mm in length) but at a hefty price of about $15.
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