Reviewed: December 30, 2009
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Manufacturer
Callpod Inc.
Type: Mobile Charger
System: Various
Rating: 9.0
What's in the Box
MSRP: $49.95
There’s nothing worse than being on a road trip or stuck on a plane and the battery in your mobile device is about to go dead. For me, it’s usually my iPhone, the least longest lasting power supply of all my devices, but I have gotten stuck with a dead Bluetooth headset or even a drained PSP or NDS on occasion.
It seems that everyone is hopping on the mobile charging bandwagon these days, especially for the iPhone, but Callpod’s new Fueltank UNO is the first device that can interface and recharge power to all of my mobile devices. Out of the box you get the Fueltank, which is no larger than a candy bar, as well as some adapters for your iPhone (or iPod Touch) and a generic mini-USB adapter. Additional interface cables are available supporting more than 3,000 devices, but you’ll have to spend nearly $10 per cable – not exactly cheap. The good news is that if you already own a Callpod Chargepod any cables you have purchased for that device will work with the Fueltank.
You also get an AC adapter to charge the Fueltank or if you already on the Chargepod you can plug the Fueltank directly into one of those six ports and charge like any other mobile device. Whether you plug directly into the wall or charge via the Chargepod, it takes about two hours to fill the fuel tank from an empty status, and about twice that long if you charge via a USB port on your computer.
As for how well it charges…I can get a full charge back into my Nintendo DS, or my PSP. I can recharge my Dragon V2 Bluetooth several times and can get nearly 2 complete charges into my iPhone. My main issues were to remind myself to have the Fueltank fully charged at all times and not to forget it when I was leaving for extended trips. You also need to remember to bring any adapter cables. For me, that just meant unplugging the cables from the Chargepod and attaching them to the Fueltank with a rubber band and stowing in my carry-on bag.
The Fueltank UNO is a fantastic safety net that has saved my life (or at least my productivity) on several occasions. The only caveat is the high cost of adapter cables, which can really add up if you have a lot of mobile devices, but if you already own the Chargepod then you probably already have those so its not an issue. I love my Fueltank UNO and if I’m going anywhere for longer than 5-6 hours I don’t leave home without it and neither should you.