'Book Mystique Review - Proporta USB Universal Emergency Charger And Travel Kit
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
by Charles W. Moore
Proporta Universal Emergency Charger
Proporta’s new universal emergency charger is a compact rechargeable battery that can be charged from any standard powered USB port and capable of storing an impressive 2500mAH of reserve power to recharge your iPhone, iPod (or other - branded music players and smartphones), PDA, Nintendo DS Lite, Sony PSP, GPS, or digital camera up to three times on the road using a USB cable combined with a wide assortment of adapter chips which come bundled with the charger unit. If your mobile device charges from a USB port, this likely will be doable.
The Proporta Universal Emergency Charger is supposed to ship with a roughly 50 percent - 75 percent charge so it can be used directly out of the package, consistent with its “emergency” designation, however, the test unit arrived with not enough juice to light an iPod nano. Not a big deal for me because I didn’t require emergency power. I just connected it to a USB port on one of my PowerBooks (it can be charged by any device with a powered USB port) and charged it. Note that note the Universal Emergency Charger can take up to 10 hours to charge fully from a computer’s or other device’s USB port and 2 hours to charge from a mains power supply.
The unit has a set of LED charge indicator lights on its front face that let you monitor the state of charge.
To charge your iPod, iPhone, or other rechargeable device from the Proporta Universal Charger, simply connect it using this applied USB cable with appropriate adapter, and monitor the charge’s progress.
The Universal Emergency Charger package includes a retractable cable, which is compatible with the following inter-changeable connector heads: 1 x Nokia Slim, 1 x Sony Ericsson, 1 x iPod, 1 x Micro USB, 1 x Samsung, 1 x PSP. If you need another connector for your device, Proporta offers a selection of connector heads , where you can get one for free with your charger. You also get Proporta’s signature complimentary bag of British tea by Taylors of Harrogate.
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The Proporta Universal Emergency Charger sells for $ 44.45.
For more information, visit:
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=4393&t_mode=des
Proporta Universal Emergency Charger Travel Kit
The Proporta Universal Emergency Charger Travel Kit includes everything that comes with the basic Universal Emergency Charger as described above, plus Proporta’s World AC Power and Car Power Supply (with USB) products in one conveniently comprehensive bundle.
The AC World Travel Charger Kit is a modular power converter that operates with input voltages from 110-240 volts at 50-60 hertz, which it steps down to 5 volts DC at up to 1000 milliamps delivered through a standard USB port.
To accommodate AC mains power supply connectivity most anywhere in the world, the USB Travel Charger comes with a selection of four different wall plug interface adapters to connect you in the UK region, Europe, Australasia, and North America respectively, which will make it compatible pretty much world-wide including the Middle East and South/Central America as well.
To use the Charger, first snap in the appropriate adapter to your location, and then connect the device you need to charge or power via the supplied USB cable. The Proporta USB Travel Charger will work with any standard USB device drawing 1000 milliamps for less. See note on iPod touch and iPod classic compatibility in the section below.
But if you’re out of wall power range, the Proporta Universal Emergency Charger Travel Kit still has you covered as long as you can access a motor vehicle, boat, or aircraft with a standard 12 volt cigarette lighter socket, including of course charging the Universal Emergency Charger itself.
The Proporta Car Power Supply (with USB socket) can charge any compatible USB device. Just plug it into a lighter socket, watch the indicator LEDs glow read, and plug in your USB powered device to charge. I almost ran into a physical clearance issue with the ashtray-mounted lighter socket in my Mazda B-4000 backup, but it just made it.
The Proporta Universal Emergency Charger - Travel Kit sells for $ 50.95.
For more information, visit:
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=4391&t_mode=des
The Proporta World AC Power and Car Power Supply (with USB) can also be purchased separately.
Proporta AC Travel Charger (with USB Socket)
The Proporta AC Travel Charger with USB Socket allows you to charge most USB compatible devices from standard AC wall power wherever you’re heading worldwide using a standard USB cable supplied with your device or any Proporta USB Sync-Charge cable.
Note however that Proporta’s AC Travel Charger (with USB Socket) is not compatible with Apple’s iPod touch cable or iPod classic cable. To charge these devices, it will be necessary use Proporta’s Retractable USB Sync and Charge Cable (Apple iPod touch) or Retractable USB Sync and Charge Cable (Apple iPod classic)
The AC Travel Charger (with USB Socket) sells for $16.45.
For more information, visit:
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=3107&t_mode=des
Proporta Car Power Supply with USB Socket
The Car Power Supply with USB Socket can charge any USB device (iPod/iPhone/GPS/PDA/Smartphone/Game/MP3...) from a standard car cigarette lighter outlet, which is ideal for use with all Proporta Retractable USB Sync-Charge Cables and Standard USB Sync-Charge Cables, and is also compatible with the USB cable supplied with your iPod or other device.
Note that the Apple cable supplied with the 3G iPhone is not compatible with the Car Power Supply with USB socket, but Proporta’s Interchangeable Retractable Cable is, and when purchased together simply use promotion code ‘3GIPHONE20’ to receive a 20% discount.
The Proporta Car Power Supply with USB Socket sells for $ 7.95.
For more information, visit:
http://www.proporta.com/F02/PPF02P05.php?t_id=318&t_mode=des
In summary, if you use USB charged or powered devices, and especially if you take them on the road, you’re gong to find the Proporta Universal Emergency Charger Travel Kit or one or more of the various constituents thereof a useful addition to your accessory inventory. It’s all quite compact and lightweight. The only suggestion I can think of for improvement would be some sort of small bag or case to store and transport the various component bits neatly.
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