Develop Bugs

DIY External, super-highCap battery pack?

Hi guys,
I do a lot of hiking and walking, taking my trusty Touch Cruise/ Orbit2 with me, running GPS and phone. I use the GPS to run EveryTrail - which allows you to track and record your position to upload your route and pics to the site later.
Of course, with all this lot running all day... well, lets just say the batteries dont!
Come to use the phone at your desitination, and voila! you've got a dead battery....
I'm not interested in those "2300 mah" extended batteries, I want something that's going to last DAYS (under these conditions) and I dont mind if I have to have it on a belt or something.
My idea is this:
Build a case to hold whatever and however many rechargeable batteries to give maximum power - within reason (say 48 hours).
This would then go on a belt, with a fixed power cable going to the mini-usb charge port on the Touch Cruise.
In theory, it might be good if it was possible to "daisy chain" multiples of these battery packs to increase the capacity still further....
So, my questions would be:
1. What are the pin connections for power on the mini-usb interface for the Touch Cruise?
2. Can someone recommend a low-unit supplier? (i.e 5 mini usb connectors)
2. What type / spec batteries would I need?
3. What does anyone else think of the idea?
My dad's helping me to look at this - who knows a lot more about electronics than me!
Thanks in advance - I think this would be useful for other people with the same goals...

i think that it is a good idea except one thing i would be worried that i would break the mini usb connector on the bottom of the phone.

OK, this is a good idea, but the weak link is the mini USB connecter (guess how I know...) I think the best solution would be a sleeve that clips around the phone so that the mechanical stress is not borne by the USB connector.
You can get the mini USB connector from Maplin:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=43998
Batteries should probably be NiMH as they have good capacity. Charging is going to be an issue, as you don't really want to have to charge 10 separate AA batteries...
Good idea though, I can only get about half a day out of my Kaiser under those conditions.

Hey, was thinking exactly about the same ;-)
My idea was to use:
1. A 5VDC switching regulator, so battery voltage doesen't matter and for example a 10V battery pack with 2000mAh will last as long as a 5V 4000mAh-battery
2. A complete Li-Ion battery pack with charger from an old camcorder,notebook,accu-driller, or whatever...
Good luck!

Hi there ,
I suggest you to buy 2 external battery pack of maybe 4000 to 5000 mah type suitable for your pda or your device , size like a normal cigarette pack , connection via mini usb cable or similiar , put these into your pouch and use it for your outdoor activities , it is easier than diy making all sorts of modification on wiring and so on . You can get these ext. battery pack with the right voltage and amps or omnhs - whatever from ebay and your local handphones and computer malls or outlets in most major towns in any country . Making a belt or an armband or a shoulder band or any sorts of diy is innovative but will take a lot of time , unless you are the type that likes to be really different or unique from others , then dont give up in making your special dream battery pack , cheers and best regards - jimmunsw

I have a setup like what you want, A 12v 12Amp SLA Battery with a 12v accessory plug that clips on that I just put my car charger in. To ad to this for my larger devices I have a 12v 46amp array in my car for my lappy, both supplemented by Solar panels.
Works well but there is a lot of weight.

Portable Power Supply
I've been interested in a similar setup for extended battery life. I've been increasingly interested in using Li-Po 18650 cells from dead laptop batteries. http://hackaday.com/2011/09/19/things-to-do-with-your-laptop-batteries-when-theyre-dead/ achieving 12v and using a cigarette car adapter to step the power back down to a constant 5.5v 2a It would be cool to finally test this out. dead battery packs from laptops are found many places so the parts could be fairly cheap.
Keep us posted on your DIY!

Multimedia dock available NOW!

I was browsing around on ebay and found a multimedia dock for our beloved TB's. Its deff not the highest quality dock i have ever seen, but it looks like a viable replacement until Verizon or HTCpedia release the official one. It doesnt look like it is slanted slightly to have a nice viewing angle but still its $30...the one from Verizon is $60. Let me know what you guys think.
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-Sync-Battery-Charger-Cradle-HTC-Thunderbolt-4G-/380333733043?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item588da834b3

That one has been available for a little while now. There is a thread where someone has a link for it cheaper also. I'm holding out for the Verizon one.

I would avoid this one, I purchased one from amazon and returned it the same day. The viewing angle is horrible, it is difficult to put in and take off (almost dropped my TB taking it off), and worst part about it, It did not charge the phone. All the lights worked on it, but would not produce a charge. I will wait for the verizon one if it ever comes out.

halopower said:
I would avoid this one, I purchased one from amazon and returned it the same day. The viewing angle is horrible, it is difficult to put in and take off (almost dropped my TB taking it off), and worst part about it, It did not charge the phone. All the lights worked on it, but would not produce a charge. I will wait for the verizon one if it ever comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aw really? i wanted to get this only for charging purposes but whats the point if it doesnt charge

Bah, Noob with first smartphone here! I failed to read any replies, and jumped at the deal, and even ordered the silicon soft case from the same guy.
I want to plug the phone into my Roku box's USB to show videos and pictures I took on the phone. I went to the Verizon store and they said that their multimedia cradles would be available soon, but so far 3 weeks have past and no cradle.
Well, I guess I could fix it if it don't work, I just hope that the extended battery fits.
I bought the soft case to see if I could cut out the extended battery hump easily with a laser engraver.

Misleading title, please change.

Hmm... I've been wanting a cradle for awhile now. So I jumped on this offer, and like any good online buyer, I look for reviews on the product AFTER I buy it. Can you guys confirm that this won't charge the phone? I was just looking for something to hold the phone up while I use WiFi keyboard. :/

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JX1FOY?tag=5336653508-20

OK I have this dock but I knew going in what it was going to be about so I can give you an idea of what you're getting.
The dock has two connectors on it. One is a USB cable (removable) and one is an A/C plug. The A/C plug is there ONLY to charge the second battery and does not charge the bolt when plugged into the dock. It WILL charge the extended battery (the OEM extended batt does fit in the spare battery slot) but not when it's actually on the Bolt. You can't fit the Bolt in the dock with anything other than the stock battery on it.
The USB cable plugs from the dock into (duh) a USB port on your PC. When it's plugged into the USB port the Bolt does detect the connection and I have been able to charge the Bolt this way. I've also been able to mount the SD card this way to move files and stuff. It doesn't charge as fast being USB vs wall charger but it does charge it. I'm looking at it right now and it just charged it to 100 percent.
The USB cable will not plug directly into the Bolt. It's Mini USB and not Micro USB. Another issue is that you can forget leaving the Bolt in a case and putting it on this dock. It will not fit with any case that I've seen. As was previously mentioned the viewing angle is a bit harsh (it's not angled.) It's basically a straight up and down mount so unless you're putting the dock somewhere at least at eye level it's not as easy to view.
This dock also has NO HDMI port on it. I have mine at work because I don't need the HDMI here. I'm going to get the OEM dock for home use since it's expected to have the HDMI out.
So to summarize it does charge the Bolt's stock battery in the dock as well as the extended in the spare battery slot. You can use the USB functions while plugged into the dock. I'm streaming Pandora right now while docked. The viewing angle is a bit harsh when the dock sits below eye level. The Bolt charges over USB with this dock. The spare battery will only charge via the attached A/C plug. You can't charge it in a case. The USB cable (removable) is mini USB NOT Micro USB and there is no HDMI.
Hope this helps.
ETA: I should add that you could use one of those USB to A/C adapters and plug the USB cable from the dock into A/C and charge that way (if you just wanted a faster charging solution.) I have tested it and it does charge that way.

Many thanks Cubs2008 ! This is exactly what I was looking for. I feel bad that I bought the dock on Ebay for $27 when I could have gotten it on Amazon for less, but lesson learned. Glad to know that I can charge the phone and the battery! Now to figure out the viewing angle problem (post it notes under the front end?). lol.

BigMcGuire said:
Many thanks Cubs2008 ! This is exactly what I was looking for. I feel bad that I bought the dock on Ebay for $27 when I could have gotten it on Amazon for less, but lesson learned. Glad to know that I can charge the phone and the battery! Now to figure out the viewing angle problem (post it notes under the front end?). lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I paid even more ($34 I think) but it does what I need it to for now. If I needed HDMI at work I'd have waited but no point in that.
As for the viewing angle it's really not too bad if you can raise the dock more to your eye level. It does wiggle a little bit left to right in the dock (but very little.) You could put it on a book or something that would raise it up and it's fine. I sit pretty low at my desk in my chair so it's not nearly as much of an issue for me (and it's not quite at eye level.)
There is one more thing I forgot to add...someone mentioned getting it in and out of the dock being a pain and I totally agree. It's due to the fact that it basically sits almost upright in the dock. There are times where I've gotten frustrated just trying to get it in or out of there. It's because I always think of angling it into the dock rather than going straight down with it. When I do drop it straight in it usually slides right in with no issue. However I also have a Zagg max coverage shield on my Bolt so I may have more of an issue because of that.
Good luck!

Thanks for the information, Cubs2008! Very much appreciated.
Wish I had a contact at a factory in China... probably wouldn't be very difficult to produce a better quality desktop dock at a competitive price!

pdxdon said:
Thanks for the information, Cubs2008! Very much appreciated.
Wish I had a contact at a factory in China... probably wouldn't be very difficult to produce a better quality desktop dock at a competitive price!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No kidding! If they would've angled the dock in front just a little bit and added an HDMI port this thing would've slayed the OEM dock. It still does a lot on its own IMO and we probably would've seen the dock for $60+ instead of around $30.
I'll still get the OEM dock when it comes out but this one does do what I need it to at work. Yay.

Cubs2008 said:
No kidding! If they would've angled the dock in front just a little bit and added an HDMI port this thing would've slayed the OEM dock. It still does a lot on its own IMO and we probably would've seen the dock for $60+ instead of around $30.
I'll still get the OEM dock when it comes out but this one does do what I need it to at work. Yay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they can't just add an HDMI port just like that. if they could we already would see a post on here about a hdmi cable.

The dock arrived today...
Here is the lowdown after disassembling it:
It looks to be assembled by children with a hot glue gun and old fashioned soldering gun. There is gobs of hot glue used to hold in the 2 LED's. One is an insanely bright blue led, and the other, untested and discarded, is a bi-color led.
There are 2 completely isolated circuits inside, one being a simple micro-USB connector on a cable that is hot glued in place, with the blue LED tapped off the 5V from the USB. I could not find any resistor inline with the LED, so it's lifespan is questionable at best.
The second circuit is the battery charger board held in place with 1 screw at one end, and the mini-USB socket at the other. It has wires to the bi-color LED. This is powered by a 5V 1A wall wart. It does not supply any power to the USB that connects to the phone
The LED's have their full length of lead wire in tact, with over-sized shrink tubing loosely covering them, and all that excess lead wire is sticking out of the hot glue like cat whiskers.
In effect it electrically comparable to a $5 battery charger, and a separate $1 USB to micro-USB cable, nothing more.
There is no media functions whatsoever. It is difficult and time consuming to plug the phone into the cradle, and you cannot use it with the extended battery or any type of case.
Advice: pass! Use your easier to plug in HTC USB cable, and if you want a separate battery charger, get another brand.

lippstuh said:
they can't just add an HDMI port just like that. if they could we already would see a post on here about a hdmi cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They probably could've when they manufactured it.

wow, Cubs2008 thanx for the indepth info!

I wanted to add to the topic that you can actually stand the entire dock upright with the Bolt plugged in and the extended battery in there and it will stay standing up. I'd advise placing the battery and the Bolt in it landscape and then pick the entire dock up and it will stand up. I've used it this way with no ill effects.

I work for vzw and the Samsung charge and thunderbolt have a charging dock that not only charges, but comes with an extra battery that charges in the dock itself. Should be released very soon.
4Geezy ON DopeDiculous's ROOTED TBeezy!

dopediculous said:
I work for vzw and the Samsung charge and thunderbolt have a charging dock that not only charges, but comes with an extra battery that charges in the dock itself. Should be released very soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How soon is "very soon" then?

My Accessory Cache - 4 Reviews in 1

So I went a little crazy today. Before k begin, I need to explain some events leading up to this accessory shopping spree. I have been out from work for 5 weeks while recovering from lumbar back surgery. For the 2 weeks prior to surgery and during my recovery I had 4 Asus Transformers. This week i had enough with 2nd and 4th chances. Dont get me wrong, Asus made a great product. I would be still using if I got my hands on a July unit. HOWEVER, 1 week with the Tab 10.1 and I am wondering why I was so hung up on ports. I go back to work Monday. So I am going to rely heavily on this light and thin wonder, meanwhile my work laptop will be 'bolted' to my desk (too big and heavy still to tote around.) Here are the accessories I picked up today and my initial thoughts.
1) Keyboard Dock - This keyboard is compact but they aren't joking when they say full size. Having owned and used the Asus Keyboard for the Transformer, the Samsung kit is far more productive for me. I felt sort of cramped on the Asus and always had to disable the trackpad. Thumbs would glaze it and cursor would end up where it shouldn't be. The dock lit right up. No funky hide the clock, and I just had to change from ThumbKeyboard to Samsung. This is easily done with the notification option when using any keyboard in Honeycomb. Once I undock, it was a breeze to switch back to ThumbKeyboard. The dock had no tight squeezes on the unit itself or the invisible shield.
2) Media Dock - I did get the clock screen. Tapping back took me back to my last used activity. From there I could home, recent apps, or back my way out. Not tired the HDMI pass through as I don't have the adapter, and ill hook up my work deal speakers on Monday. The angle is great for my sitting height at my desk or event when standing. The ease of docking/undocking was easy. The downer is the front inside edge of the dock cradle has to little tiny notches. They tend to ruffle the invisible shield in the lower L/R corners of the Tab. You can flattened back out once you undocn. But I am sure it'll result in a new invisible shield periodically. this is going to sit on my desk at work. That way I can charge, use, listen to music, or multi task while my work laptop is in tied up. It'll function perfectly for that purpose, but the Invisible Shield wear and tear will be a test to see if it stays.
3) Samsung Wall Charger - Just like the one included with the tablet. Same length and module wall plug. Will use with Media dock while included plug will stay at home with Keyboard Dock. I've learned my lesson with non OEM chargers... they can damage your battery and its ability to hold charge. So I am drawn to OEM plugs or certified by OEM partners. But honestly $50 for a 3ft cable and wall plug? Even the Apple chargers are less than that. But no alternatives mean I pay the price.
4) Samsung Leather Pounch - I was very shocked when I pulled it out of the case! THIS THING IS NICE! High quality leather and soft felt interior, but most importantly it is thinner than the Tab itself. Therefore it does not double or tripple the thickness of the Tab's thin profile. Which is what drew me to the tab to begin with. It will work great to transport to/from/around work and other travel needs. I highly recommend for those who don't want a flipper always dangling around while thumbing it. I found that a annoying with my iPAD1 and Asus experiences. So if you aren't a fan of the full size keyboard and angle setup, this will be a great thin, light, and safe method to protect your tablet. It is basic but stylish. Best of all its a 1 step process to remove the Tab10.1 for docking with the above.
So.... I am actually looking forward to returning to work Monday now. LOL. Mission accomplished. The Bluetooth keyboard and notebook case were on my lost but no one has then in stock yet to examine. The two Belkin cases were very nice and high quality, but they both add considerable mass. And most importantly require more than 1 step to remove the Tab for docking. That is not desirable to me as over time it makes the safe guards that keep the tablet from falling out of the less effective.
I hope this is helpful. I know there are a few other review and comments about the two docks. But I wanted to give more of a 'my personal setup' perspective to my review as well as share why personally a stable and pimped out tablet is so important to me right now.
Enjoy and let me know of you have any questions or comments.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

djchad72 said:
3) Samsung Wall Charger - Just like the one included with the tablet. Same length and module wall plug. Will use with Media dock while included plug will stay at home with Keyboard Dock. I've learned my lesson with non OEM chargers... they can damage your battery and its ability to hold charge. So I am drawn to OEM plugs or certified by OEM partners. But honestly $50 for a 3ft cable and wall plug? Even the Apple chargers are less than that. But no alternatives mean I pay the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are plenty of alternatives. A solder blob and a resistor turns an iPad charger into a Tab 10.1 charger. There's also a good possibility that a kernel tweak will allow the Tab 10.1 to use unmodified iPad chargers (I just need to find if there are separate ADC channels for D+ and D-)
There is NO reason why any iPad charger could damage the Tab - USB is USB is USB, 5 volts is 5 volts is 5 volts. Samsung's weird detection resistors violate the USB Battery Charging standard (so do iDevices for that matter), and it is purely a racket to milk money from users.
Your views on OEM chargers are archaic and date back to the days when dumphones were so dumb that charge control intelligence was in the charger/power supply and not in the phone itself. This hasn't been valid for 95%+ of phones for years, and isn't valid for 99% of the devices that are discussed here on XDA, if any. These days, if a battery in a smartphone or tablet gets damaged by improper charging, the device itself and only the device is to blame, because all charge control intelligence has been moved into the device.

I disagree. I bought non standard non OEM wall charger and cables for a Palm Pre. That was only 2 years ago. It fried both batteries and my battery charger pack. The batteries would degrade quickly upon operation and random reboots crept up. Techs examined the batteries and they tested bad. They had to replace.
I know there are 3rd party makers that can be trusted. But in the end the OEM and end user is going to only take so much before replacement get bothersome.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

The only thing I can think of there is that the charger was weak and browned out, potentially confusing the phone's charging circuit.
Either that or the charger was SERIOUSLY defective. I'll be honest - before using a charger I do check that it is at least regulating to around 5 volts, so far I haven't had any surprises. The only surprise I've had were Monoprice "1A" chargers that were really only capable of 400-500 mA.
An iPad charger with the charging resistors tweaked so that D+ and D- are around 1.2 volts will be indistinguishable from the real deal for our tabs.

Best portable battery?

Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with portable battery packs. I don't mean extended batteries either. I mean the universal usb charger kind that packs several thousand mAh.
I'm looking to get one for a nine hour flight, and I want to know what is a good brand.

Luuthian said:
Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with portable battery packs. I don't mean extended batteries either. I mean the universal usb charger kind that packs several thousand mAh.
I'm looking to get one for a nine hour flight, and I want to know what is a good brand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't answer your question, but a lot of planes have a USB/charging input now. I know when I fly Air Canada, they have it.

I have had an Energizer XP18000 for about 3 months now and it has surpassed my expectations.
It holds 18000 mAh of power and will charge my Gnex and my Xoom at the same time (need to order a special tip for the Xoom/non standard device). I use it for long train rides to keep my phone topped up.
When watching HD video over 4G my battery level will drop about 1-2% every half hour, so it is not charging as fast as the wall charger, but it is enough to keep you from having a dead battery when you get to your destination. With my usage I can go 3 to 4 days and never need to look at a wall outlet.
The size is about as big as a external hard drive. There is also a wall charger that has a good size power brick in the middle of it. You can remove it when you don't need the wall charger, but I keep everything in one small bag so all I have to do is set it down next to an outlet and top up the external battery, then fold the cord into the bag and pull out what ever cord I need when I am on the move. It works just fine with the original Samsung usb charging cable.
I picked mine up from Amazon but you might be able to find a better deal if you look hard enough. They make a smaller model too that is only 8000 mAh.
I always keep it in my bag and it works so well for me that I don't even need the extended battery and leave 4G on all the time.
http://www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/xp18000/

Beautiful. Thanks Dante. And yeah, I heard some planes have USB chargers now. Unfortunately I'm not flying with them. I live near YVR, but Air Canada is having a bunch of problems with their workers right now. Last thing I need is flight delays or bad service.

I did a ton of research before buying mine. I wanted a pocket sized one, that had large capacity (enough to fully charge the phone twice), and could charge a device at a full 1 amp. After much research, I bought the original version of this one:
http://www.newtrent.com/store/iphone-external-battery/iphone-battery-imp50d.html
Mine has less markings and I believe both ports on mine are 1 amp, where as the new one has one 500mA and one 1A port. Mine was also like $55, this one is on sale for barely over $40, an even better deal.
It is very powerful - 5,000 mAh will charge the phone 3+ times - much bigger than other "pocket batteries", fits in a pocket nicely (I wear cargo pants) because it's skinny, like a deck of cards. Fairly light too. Only complaint is that I bought it before MicroUSB became the new standard, so it charges with miniUSB instead.
I carry a retractable mini-usb cable, and a retractable microUSB cable, in an altoids tin, in in my pocket with it. Works great, can charge my friends phones at the same time as me. Had it for 2 years, still going strong!
There are newer designs they have now too if you look at their website.
It does take a long while to charge - 8 hours to charge fully or so if you charge off a 500mAh USB port, because it's a huge battery! a lot less maybe 4 hours if you charge off a high speed 1A charger.

i was looking at this one http://www.amazon.ca/Anker-8400mAh-...UTF8&coliid=I3IVVC4G6YETK&colid=1ILTNQ88L4FE5
it has a 2amp 5v port, this can charge a transformer prime with the screen off.

I got this one recently:
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-SlimTal..._1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1335035472&sr=1-2
Its (much) smaller than my Nexus, has a built in micro-usb cable, and charges via micro-usb as well. While it doesn't have the capacity of those listed above (only 3200mAh), it was only $20 and the size really does let you take it everywhere.
It can fully charge it the phone from dead about 1.5 times.
I bought mine due mainly to the fact that it includes the micro-usb cable that hides away when not in use. It has a standard USB port as well for charging other items, but the appeal of only having to carry one item and no extra cable sold me.
My only complaint is that the built in cable could be a bit longer.
It has a flashlight too... lol

Been researching this topic lately and found that Anker's 10,000mah external battery is looking the best
Sent from my i9250 (GSM) Galaxy Nexus.
[email protected]

I use the Veho Pebble and it's fine for my needs. I get 2 charges out of it.

after hours of my own research I also bought the Anker Slimtalk. I dont travel enough to need one that is huge and can charge my phone 8 times. This seems small enough to toss in my pocket and not bother me since its so thin and light. For $20 and the convenience of having its built in micro usb cable sounds like a perfect little invention to get me through the day.
If I traveled more I would of probably got the Energizer XP8000. Their tip program is awesome. Free tips for life but really its $2 shipping each. if you want this device to charge a whole bunch of things it can. My Acer netbook, EVO 3D, girlfriends RAZR, 3DS, bluetooth, iPad 2, Nook, and the list goes on. I've been trying to ask New Trent for almost a week if their products would be compatible with the Energizer Tip program but found that contrary to what I've read their customer support is terrible, but their prices are better than energizer. So they loose out on the sale since over the last few times of researching has allowed me to find the Slimtalk which for the price and for my needs is perfect.

Curb71 said:
after hours of my own research I also bought the Anker Slimtalk. I dont travel enough to need one that is huge and can charge my phone 8 times. This seems small enough to toss in my pocket and not bother me since its so thin and light. For $20 and the convenience of having its built in micro usb cable sounds like a perfect little invention to get me through the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly why I went with it. Even while traveling I'm generally within range of a car or home charger, especially now that pretty much everyone without an iPhone has a micro USB charger somewhere.
I just wish it had a built in AC adapter as well but I'm sure the size would increase by quite a bit. Someone (iGo maybe) makes one like that but it only has about an 1100mah battery if I recall.

I found something here in the Netherlands, and I'm not quite sure if you guys in the US have the same thing..
The thing this has going for it is it's portability. It fits in your pocket, and if you don't mind a big lump in your pockets, it even fits together with your phone.
Click over there <<< to check out the dutch website of duracell. It basically is a battery with a socket plug on it, and 2 USB outlets.
Tech. info:
Output voltage: 5 volts DC
Input voltage: 5 volts DC, max. 1 amp
Capacity: 1800 mAh
Offcourse, this is the dutch version, with the dutch socket plug, but maybe there's an US version as well?

Thanks for all the info here guys. I have that crappy Black and Decker Pocket Power from a few years back, that well, isn't living up to the charge these days, so I need something else.
Still a bit too many options, but I'm sure I'll find one that works the best.

Review of RAVPower® Savior Multi-functional 9000mAh External Battery Pack

This is the external battery that everybody should have! No need to have any cables or wall adapters with this one!! I’ll explain later.
When you open the box, you are first greeted with a “Thank you for your purchase!” card. Beneath that is the battery in a plastic wrap. The entire battery is in a plastic molding. Once you pick up the battery and plastic molding, you find a warranty card, an instruction manual, a micro-USB to mini-USB adapter, and a micro-USB to Samsung pin adapter. You also find a 2-ft long micro-USB cable and a neat carrying pouch. The carrying pouch is so great, you’ll love it as soon as you touch it.
First Impressions: It feels REALLY nice in your hands. It feels so premium and high-quality. The product has a really nice matte-finish with a brilliant black color. I fell in love with it immediately. It has a built-in wall charger to charge the unit, so no need to carry an extra wall adapter. Also, it has a built-in micro-USB cable, so you also don’t have to carry a cable with you. If you want to charge another device, there is a port at the bottom that is covered with a flap that you can easily access to charge your second device. You just plug in the wire and plug it into your phone and BAM: it’s charging. The built-in micro-USB cable charges at 2.1A and the port at the bottom outputs at 1A. The battery has a button in which you press to have four LED lights light up that tell you how much power the battery has left.
After using the battery for some time, I noticed that if you pick it up with oily hands, the battery will get oily stains. You can easily wipe them off, but it is just a little heads-up. I like how it is scratch-free; that is a huge plus. When you plug in your device with the cable that is built-in, it is a little awkward stacking your device on the battery at first because you’re afraid of breaking it. Eventually you get passed that, but it is a small complaint. After the cable is bent a certain way for a while, it forms to that shape. Luckily, when you put the cable back in the battery, it is formed back to its straight shape. In other words, the cable is malleable. I like how they’ve packed in 9000mAh in such a small form factor. I don’t like how big it is, but I can’t complain since it has a built-in wall charger AND micro-USB cable! This battery is pretty great!
Recently I’ve been loving this over my other batteries because I can just throw this in pocket and I’m good to go. No need to carry anything else to use the battery or to charge the battery. This would be great for students, people that work, just about anybody that owns a phone or tablet!
Overall, this battery is awesome! The fact that the wall charger and micro-USB cable is built into the battery is awesome. Along with the fact that it has an amazing build quality and form factor, it’s pretty awesome! I highly recommend this if you want a battery but don’t want to carry so many extra things around with it.
I was provided a unit for testing purposes and I promised to provide a completely honest and fair review.
Unfortunately, I cannot post the link to this product on Amazon because posting commercial links is forbidden, but you can find it on Amazon by searching for the product's name that is in the title of this thread. Thanks!