Review: Ultimate-Netbook U20 External Power Pack for Laptop and PDA

Review: U2o i-UP External Laptop Power Pack



Once in a while we at 4WinMobile are given the opportunity of reviewing a device which is a little different to our usual fare. This is such an occasion. Ultimate-Netbook asked if we would like to review one of their newly released mobile power packs, the U2o Universal External Laptop Battery 13200 (hereafter called the U2o!); we investigate how useful a device like this could be, and how it performs in day to day life. Read on to find how it does!











Product Information

Product:	U2o i-UP 65w Universal External Laptop Battery
Type:	External Battery Pack
Rating:	13200 mAh
Weight:	430g
Interfaces:	5V USB and 12/16/19V Laptop
Supplier:	Ultimate-Netbook. Thanks to Craig at Ultimate-Netbook for providing the review sample
Price:	£79.99 including VAT @15%

Introduction

The U2o is supplied in a sturdy and informative cardboard box with well fitting foam inserts protecting the device and its peripherals. The box itself is printed with a useful list of safety precautions, a comprehensive specification table and graphics of supported device types. In the box are the unit itself, the mains plug, a set of USB charging tips with a retractable USB cable and a set of laptop charging tips with a 65cm connection cable. There is also a brief instruction leaflet in Chinese and English. The U2o's appearance is sleek and functional in a combination of matt and gloss black with some brushed aluminium detail in the nameplate and charging control. Initial impressions on its size are that it is quite a large device. However remembering that this holds between two and four times the charge of normal laptop batteries, the size then begins to appear more modest; bearing in mind that in normal daily use you are unlikely to need to carry a mains power supply, it becomes even more impressive. As it is only 1.5cm in depth, I'm sure it could be easily stowed away in most briefcases or laptop bags.

In Use

The U2o was delivered to me already 75% charged. A quick orientation session soon showed that this was not a complicated device to master! There was a sticker on the front connection plate reminding the user to ensure the voltage slide switch was set to the correct voltage for the device being charged. This switch can be set for 5V (USB) and 12/16/19V for laptop use, which covers the majority of current laptops. My son's Dell 9400 uses a 19.5V input and using this power pack did prompt a warning on startup that it was not a genuine Dell charger, and that the battery may not charge, but it did proceed to power up the laptop (which doesn't currently have a battery in it!) without any difficulty. The only user controls on the U2o are the voltage selector switch and the central button to initiate charging. The button is surrounded by a bezel with four LEDs around the lower half and one at the top. The lower LEDs show the state of charge of the U2o itself and the upper LED glows when it is charging another device. This light goes off when the device is fully charged. While the U2o itself is being charged, the four LEDs light up sequentially to show the current charge. As the battery had a good charge, I immediately used it to charge up my HTC Diamond, which was on its last legs! So, I inserted the USB cable into the U2o, ensuring the voltage was set to 5V, attached it to the Diamond using the mini-USB tip then simply pressed the charge button. The 'charging' LED lit up, and the Diamond's 'charging' pulse started immediately. About 1 hour later, the Diamond was fully charged, and the U2o was still showing 75% charge.

The next task was to charge my Advent 4213 Netbook. This still had 60% remaining, but as I anticipated a long session with it later, decided to boost it to full charge. This time I used the main connecting cable and set the voltage to 19V. The charge time from 60% to full was about 50 minutes, which is slightly slower than the mains charger, but good nonetheless. At the end of this, the U2o was still showing 50% power available. At this point I connected the U2o to the mains to give it a full charge. The topup from 50% to fully charged took about 150 minutes, so in everyday use, a full charge would best be performed overnight.

The different types of tip can be seen in the accompanying photographs. The eight laptop tips are self evident. The USB charging tips are for mini USB, Nokia 2.5mm, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Samsung devices. These do appear to use an industry standard interface, as the tips which came with my Maplin mini power pack also fit this one. As the host socket is a standard USB female, any other device which uses a USB cable can be connected. Unfortunately, neither my video camera nor my main SLR camera have compatible charging sockets, or this would have been the complete charging solution!

Conclusion

I have to admit that I've been looking forward to reviewing the U2o. I have a number of mobile devices for which I carry different charging gear. If I forget to charge something overnight, there is then a scrabble to find the correct charger and a mains socket before work, which isn't always possible.

The strength of the U2o is that in a device only marginally larger than a standard laptop battery, and in fact only slightly larger than many mains charging transformers, there is all the power that is likely to be needed for a few days normal use. Assuming my Advent's battery and the U2o started fully charged, I'd have over 15 hours of continuous use. Even charging a few phones along the way would still give enough power for a couple of days heavy use.

At £80 plus carriage this is not a cheap device, but in comparison to the cost of a spare laptop battery, and taking into account its versatility, I would consider the U2o to be good value for money, and an excellent device overall.