Review: Fueltank Uno external battery charger

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Today's portable devices such as smartphones, MP3 players, handheld gaming consoles and digital cameras are often mostly limited by their battery life and aside from buying additional batteries, power solutions are usually less than ideal or come in the form of large cases that are specific to one device. Fueltank Uno from Callpod, changes all this by offering on-the-go power for numerous devices.

Here at the Canadianreviewer.com, we don't only test a number of phones but also dozens of applications so we burn through batteries very frequently and have been looking for a convenient way to recharge batteries across devices. The Fueltank Uno ($49.99 in Best Buy Canada) manages this quite well. 

The device itself weighs only four ounces and comes with a charger, adaptors for mini USB and for Apple's dock connector, a soft case plus a free mail-in coupon for a third adaptor of your choice (we opted for the more common MicroUSB which arrived by mail in a week).

Providing the up to four times the capacity of a regular device, you can expect two-full recharges on an iPhone 3GS and an Android device. The Fueltank Uno itself takes about four hours to recharge and is small enough to take everywhere and is easy to deploy because it is purely plug and play. There are six LED lights that let you know how much power is left in the battery.

We tested the Fueltank Uno with our iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and a variety of feature phones as well as some of the newer Android phones such as the HTC Legend and the Motorola Backflip. Plug it in an it begins to charge the device which is great in between meetings or during breaks. Callpod, which also makes a larger charger called the Fueltank Duo, claims that their devices can charge around 3000 devices.

We found the Fueltank Uno to be the perfect mobile charging companion. It did have some difficulty sensing the iPhone 3GS which required plugging, unplugging and general fiddling until the charge indicator note came on. For most other devices, they began charging right away, we figure it could have been either the connector or something with the 3GS's terminal. The Fueltank Uno is a smart, useful and effective power solution for portable devices that need the extra juice. This is a great accessory for hardcore smartphone users and gadget fanatics.

What’s Included:

• Fueltank UNO base unit
• AC/DC Wall Plug
• iPhone/iPod Direct Connect adapter (Verified: Works with iPod Video)
• Mini-USB adapter (Remember, some BlackBerrys use a micro usb)
• Carrying pouch
• Voucher for 1 free adapter redeemable at Callpod.com

Specs:

Electrical:

Battery Capacity                             2400 mA/hr
Battery Source                                Lithium Ion
Estimating Charging Time           3 Hours
Input AC Power                               110-240V AC, 50-60 Hz
Output Charging Power                500 mA Each Port
Power Source                                    Refuel Via AC Adaptor

Environment:

Humidity                                             5% to 90% non condensing
Operating Temperature               -10° C to 50° C
Storage Temperature                    -10° C to 50° C

Physical:

Dimentions                                        1.94″W x 4.89″L x 0.78″H
Weight                                                  3.5 oz (99.2 g)

User Interface:

LED Indicators                                  Charge Capacity Indicators
Number of Devices Supported   1

You can check out the FuelTank Uno, along with other FuelTanks and the other items sold by CallPod at callpod.com. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Comments

[Mogar]

Nice write-up - I've had the Duo about a month and absolutely love it. For the size, getting five(ish) full charges on my iPod Touch is fantastic. The only disappointment thus far is callpod has no micro-USB adapters (model # CHUA-0018) on their site (e.g. the one needed for a large selection of newer BlackBerry devices such as the Curve2 / 8530). It shows as "pre-order" but doesn't indicate a date when they'll be available or ship. I have a concern that after redeeming the free voucher code but not being able to use it, if the shopping-cart times-out I will have lost the $9.95 credit. Waiting to hear from callpod support if that's the case or not.

You calling-out that people should remember some BB's use a micro-USB
(...Mini-USB adapter (Remember, some BlackBerrys use a micro usb)
is an important point.

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