Before our Solar Eclipse Trip, I was offered a cool new travel gadget called a Callpod FuelTank to try out. Unfortunately, it didn't arrive before the trip, so I used it last weekend on my trip to Pittsburgh for Netroots Nation. I have to say, I wish I'd had it for the solar eclipse trip, because it really came in handy.
Our family is, like many families, a little gadget-crazy. We have cellphones and portable gameplayers galore, and when we take them on the road with us, the inevitable always occurs: we lose power at the most inopportune times. This can be particularly frustrating on a 12 hour flight, when the Nintendo DSi battery decides to fail just as your kid is about to achieve global Pokemon domination. Enter: the Callpod FuelTank, part back-up battery, part sanity-saver.
The Callpod FuelTank is a lightweight, portable back-up battery recharger specifically made for cellphones and portable gaming systems. It can simultaneously charge two small electronic devices at a time, so you don't have to carry around two different back-up batteries. You need to purchase adaptors for each of your devices, but it comes with one. I received adaptors for the G1, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and Treo. Sorry, but it won't help your laptop (hey, Callpod, when is THAT coming?). It comes with a carrying case and it's lightweight so it easily fits in your purse. When your battery runs out in the middle of a flight or a meeting or some other place you don't have access to an outlet, you plug in your device and recharge.
I have a Google G1 Smartphone, and as much as I love the functionality of the phone, the battery life sucks. The phone battery died in the middle of dinner one evening in Pittsburgh, so I whipped out the FuelTank, plugged it in, and was set for the rest of the night, until I could get back to the hotel and recharge both. It came in handy for a compulsive Twitter addict like myself.
Overall, I thought this product was a winner, and I recommend it.
Disclosure: I received a Callpod FuelTank and several adaptors to try out at no charge. I did not receive any additional compensation or incentive for this review.
