Telus recently sent me a PowerTrip, a stand-alone, lightweight USB-based charger for extra power on the go.
Canadian-made by Ottawa-based Ecosol, the PowerTrip is part of a family of chargeable products including the PowerStick II, PowerSound, PowerShotII, and PowerBinder. Many of these products have garnered Consumer Electronics Association (CES) Innovation Awards, including the PowerTrip, 2011’s award-winner.
The PowerTrip is great for travelling as it’s lightweight and can charge a variety of gadgets (with three included cables: traditional Apple 30-pin iPod/iPad/Touch connector, mini-USB and micro-USB).
Compatible products include digital tablets, iPhone, BlackBerry, digital readers, GPS devices, MP3 players, PDAs and compact cameras.
Keep the battery topped up on sunny days by using the solar panel.
Ecosol can brand the PowerTrip to sport any company logo.
A flash drive can be added in four, eight, or 16 GB sizes, adding $10, $20, or $40 respectively to the price. Pop it in its drawstring pouch, throw it in your bag, and you’re off and running with extra power for the day or on your next trip.
PROS
– Portable and light at 200 grams (7 ounces)
– Measures 104×60x26mm (4.1″×2.4″×1″), about the size of a deck of cards
– Good for over 1,000 charges
– One-year warranty
– 6,000 milliamps backup battery, good for charging three Blackberrys or iPhones
– Solar panel for sunny-day charging
– Easy-to-read gauge on the side shows how much juice is left
– Flash drive option with four, eight, or 16 gigabytes available
CONS
– Lacks Lightning-to-USB cable (Telus sells an Apple lightning to 30-pin adapter for $35)
The PowerTrip retails for US $99 is available online.
