Macally PowerLink Emergency Battery Pack with 2 GB Pen Drive for iPod and iPhone (Black)
by Macally
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List Price: Our Price: $16.99 You Save: $18.00 (51%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $8.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Macally PowerLink Emergency Battery Pack with 2 GB Pen Drive for iPod and iPhone (Black)
Customer Review: iPod Test Results (informal) - Useful Device
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is definitely a useful gadget to carry with you if you have one of the solid-state iPods, giving useful extension of life, especially for the 2ndGen Nano, but also the iPod Touch. Here are the results of my informal testing:
On my iPod Nano 2ndGen 8GB (tall, no video), the PowerLink boosted the charge to about 75% of capacity (judging from the little battery icon) and provided many more hours of podcast play. It took only about 6 minutes for the PowerLink to transfer most of its power to the iPod, and when then I played for 3 hours, the battery icon went from about 75% to about 60%, so I presume I would get 6-8 more hours of play overall from the PowerLink. I will plan on using it the next time I travel.
On my 8GB iPod Touch, it brought the power level up to about 25% after about 6 minutes of charging (looking at the battery icon). With WiFi off, I got a 20% warning after about 26 minutes, and it lasted about an hour before turning off. With WiFi on, I got the 20% warning after 20 minutes, and it turned itself off at 36 minutes. For each of these tests on the Touch, I was running StepTrak Lite, which turns the Touch into a pedometer and runs continually, preventing sleep. My next test will be to compare pedometer running to song play, and I wll revise this review when I have that info. NOTE, these times are probably lower than they should be, because I left the PowerLink attached only for 6 minutes, enough for the PowerLink battery to get down to 1 led. I intended to reconnected it to suck out that last bit of power once the iPod Touch got too low, and will try that next time.
It mounted on my desktop Mac just fine as a flash drive. I am not sure if I would ever find it useful to use it for syncing rather than a cable, but I can see how the designers decided that as long as there is a usb port on one end (for charging and flash drive mounting) and a iPod port at they other end, they might as well use that functionality. I wouldn't use it for syncing at home, but it could be handy if traveling with a laptop and an iPod.
A few qualms:
- one day after giving the PowerLink a full charge (three led's lit), it seems to have lost power, having only two led's lit. So I don't know how long this charge is maintained, perhaps it is because the PowerLink is new? If I am able to get any more numbers, I will update this review.
- The little caps will probably be easily lost. It would better design if they were tethered or integrated into the body somehow.
- it seems like you have to remember to slide the power on/off switch to off after you have removed it from the iPod; I forgot and it was dead the next day when I tried to use that last bit of remaining power.
So in sum, this is a very useful device if you have a solid state iPods. However, I don't have any of the other power assist devices so I cannot compare this one to them. I can easily imagine that the more power-hungry iPhone or hard-disk iPods might get less benefit from this product.
Customer Review: Product Works as Described.....
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This product is an "emergency batterypack" for an ipod or iphone, which can also be used to store 2GB of info, and used to sync your apple products via the USB port---this is the description that the manufacturer gives the product, and I tested it for those features, and I must say that the product lives up to its descriptions.
Let me first say that I do NOT have an iphone, but I do have an iPod, and that is what I tested it on. First when I got this product in the mail I read the "directions" that came with it. They are a little sparse, but I suppose for a product like this, what you see is what you get. The first time you charge this product the directions say to let it charge for 3 hours, and then after that it takes an hour to charge. You can charge this either by hooking it up to your computer, or by charging it through a USB power adapter if you have one. There are lights that light up to indicate how full the battery is.
So, I let my battery die completely in my ipod---which actually takes quite a long time...the battery in the ipod nano 8GB is quite long lasting. Once my iPod was dead, I attached the macally device, and after about 30 seconds my iPod came on. By attaching this device my iPod was still running after 4 hours!!! That is much longer than I expected! So, I was very pleasantly surprised by this. The only thing I noticed, is that the sound quality seemed to be sacrificed a bit while running the ipod off of the batterypack (part of the reason for the 4 star rating).
The other reason for the 4 star rating is just the overall design of the product. It comes with a small cap for each end, and I can see myself loosing these, and they are a bit difficult to get off. I think this product would be better off having a small case, with perhaps a small clip attached.
Now, as far as the usefulness of this product goes, that is up to you whether or not this product would serve a purpose in your life. I do not think I will use this for syncing my iPod, or to store 2GB of info, but I will charge it up and stick it in my gym bag for those times when I get to the gym only to realize that my ipod is dead. This little gadget may come in handy for people who listen to their iPod a lot, and are not so great at keeping it charged up, or maybe for someone on a really long flight. Just keep in mind that this is a battery pack...it does not charge your iPod up...once you remove this device the power source is gone. So you have to keep this device attached.
All in all, I am not sure if I will use this a lot, but if I had an iPhone I might, because I am terrible at keeping my cell phone charged. But, otherwise this product does everything that it says that it can do. It can store info, it can sync your ipod, and it can act as an ermergency batterypack for an 8GB ipod nano for AT LEAST 4 hours (after 4 hours, I turned my iPod off, and the light indicator on this device indicated that there was still half the battery life left).
Customer Review: It could help in an emergency but at a steep price
Summary: 3 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is an interesting device and it does have some usefulness.
The PowerLink serves three functions...
1. It's a 2GB flash drive
2. It's an emergency power source
3. It's a USB to 30-pin connector
A 2GB USB flash drive is under $5 today, so there's not that much added value here for that aspect of this gizmo. And using this device does not give you the ability to mount your iTouch on your computer's desktop as an external device. It is not that at all.
The USB to 30-pin connector is of some value because if you don't have your sync cable, this would make it possible to connect your ipod device to a computer in order to get a charge or to sync. But you'd have to make sure you had the included USB female to male adapter cable with you or you'd still be out of luck. However the plastic end caps are not very secure when placed on the 30-pin connector and USB plug. Particularly the 30-pin cap, it is very loose and falls off easily.
So the real value here is the emergency power the PowerLink provides. This is the real reason you'd want this device. And it really works well for that. My 6GB iPod Mini was completely discharged. I hooked it up to the PowerLink and started playing music. I was quite surprised to discover that it played non-stop for 5 1/2 hours before the PowerLink went dead. That's pretty amazing if you ask me.
OK, so an iPod Mini doesn't really suck up that much power. A better test would be to hook it up to my 2G 16GB iTouch. Again, I let the iTouch drain completely then hooked up the PowerLink to it. It took several minutes before the iTouch had enough power to start up again, but after it started up, it ran for an hour while I watched a couple YouTube videos, checked my email once or twice and listened to music for the rest of that time. It still had a bit of juice left in it when I stopped the experiment to begin writing my review.
This is definitely a useful device but it's another "thing" that you have to have with you and you must make sure it's charged as well for it to truly be the lifesaver that it has the potential to be. It's a little pricey in my opinion. If it were $15, it'd be a must have.
Pros:
-270mAh Lithium Polymer battery provides a useful amount of emergency power for those times when no other way to charge your ipod device is available.
-Does provide the means to connect to your computer, sync and charge if you don't have your normal cable.
-2GB flash drive.
Cons:
-It is pricey
-It's not the most elegant looking thing
-The plastic end caps are not very secure when in place
Rating this was a little difficult for me. I mean, it does exactly what it claims it will do, so for that it's a 5 start device. But I think the price knocks it down from 5 stars to more like 3.5. 3.5 isn't an option so for me, It's a solid 3 stars and if it were more affordable I would rate it 4.
Customer Review: Great idea...just needs to be slimmer
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Macally Powerlink is a fantastic device that was given a great deal of thought put into it. With this device, you get a 2GB memory stick to use and an emergency battery for your iPhone/iPod.
The device comes with 2 caps to cover the exposed connectors and a 12+ inch extension cable. Now..this device is intended as an EMERGENCY battery power source for your iPod/iPhone and not intended to replace the supplied cable or dock that comes with your iPod/iPhone that you use to charge.
If your iPhone battery is dead, it will not charge it, even when connected to the PC and iPhone at the same time. You can, and are supposed to use it as a battery pack. Much like a flash light when the power is out in the house.
The intention is convenience. You get a thumb drive and a battery back up in one. The charge is supposed to last 25 minutes of talk time, but realistically, it won't. But it is more than enough to get that call in to someone to tell them you are on your way, and will be late. Hence..emergency battery pack!
The device itself charges automatically every time it is connected to the USB port on the computer, but you must you flip the switch over to the left to turn the battery on to power your iPod/iPhone. When you leave it to the right, the device is not turned on, and the battery is preserved and the lights do not come on. There are 4 indicators to tell you that the battery is charging, 1/4, 1/2, and fully charged.
The supplied cable is long enough for me to connect the device to it and my iPhone without it dangling in the air. I have synced my music using the supplied cable no problems. The device is light, and fat. Feels well made. The size is comparable to a small cigarette lighter.
If you are traveling, you will most likely bring your supplied cable with you to connect to your laptop to charge, or connect it to a wall charger. You would have to use the extension cable to get get the device connected to your iPhone and if you are carrying one cable, you would rather be carrying the iPod cable.
From now on, I will be carrying this thumb drive around for work. Knowing I have an emergency battery and my thumb drive just makes more sense when I carry my briefcase around. No more worrying about my iPhone battery dying on the ride home from work.
If you have an iPhone and need to buy a new thumb drive, go for it. Not sure if you really need it for an iPod though.
Remember...it will not charge your iPhone/iPod, it acts as an emergency power source only.
I supplied some pictures in the customer image gallery on top so check it out to see what you get and how it looks.
I enjoy it, and the iPod/iPhone owner will appreciate it.
Customer Review: Extreme Test Results Prove Macally's Powerlink a Winner
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
UPDATE: Since writing the initial review on December 12, 2008, I have purchased an iTouch, which is sort of like an iPhone "Lite," in that it does all the iPhone does, except make calls. The iTouch goes through a charge, especially when you are using the applications, and the Powerlink gives me an additional 2 hours of power. The Powerlink holds a charge for several weeks (after four weeks, it is down to one-third power, and you only get another 30-40 minutes). The original review follows:
Macally's PowerLink delivers as promised emergency power and data transfer capabilities. At it's new lower price, it makes an ideal gift to give and receive for forgetful people and battery-hog players.
In testing the Powerlink, I wanted to see what it would do in a "real life" situation. I charged it 10 days ago (it takes about 20 minutes to charge on my PC), put it in the drawer, and left it. Then, I played my 60 GB iPod until it was just about out of power (the charge indicator had shown RED for 10 minutes). After hooking-up the Powerlink to the iPod, I played music on the iPod for an hour and 45 minutes. Then, turned it off, leaving it still attached. An hour later, I turned the iPod on for another 15 minutes of playing music.
To me, the Powerlink is something I would use for those occasions when I travel and cannot plug my iPod into a car charger (by plane, train, public transportation, etc.) to keep it charged, or when I noticed that I had not kept my iPod charged-up and I needed to use it.
The 2GB data transfer feature is nice. While I wouldn't normally use it to transfer files, it does allow you to do so, and I had no difficulty exchanging files from a PC to my Mac and vise versa. If your computers are set to the same iTunes account (you can have up-to-five), you can even use the Powerlink to transfer digital movies to the other computers.
On the negative side, the caps on the two ends, while designed not to be interchangeable, are items looking to be lost. I took a woman's pony-tail tie, and cut two pieces off of it (with the iPod connector end being longer than the USB end) and attached the end pieces to the main unit with Gorilla Glue Gorilla Glue 50004 Adhesive, 4-Ounces. Doing this kept the two ends semi-attached.
For the new lower price, I think the Powerlink is a useful accessory. I plan on giving one to my friends who tend to forget to keep their iPods charged.