I had a small project in mind to test the U2o iWalk 5400mAh emergency battery charger for it's strengths and possible weaknesses, it involved coupling the rechargeable battery with a Windows Mobile device and a motorcycle! When the rechargable battery and the other items I needed for this review arrived quickly, safely and well packaged, I couldn't wait to start on my project.
For your delectation photographs are thumbnails which may be clicked on to load a larger image.
Many thanks to Craig at www.u2o-uk.co.uk who provided 4WM with the review samples.
The u2o-uk.co.uk U2o iWalk 5400mAh Emergency Battery Charger can be found on their site here.
The emergency battery is available in black, white and pink, I chose the black which looks very high tech in it's high gloss finish. Also included in the box was a UK mains charger, a retractable USB to DC cable, an Apple iPhone retractable cable, a warranty card and user manual. There was also an array of tips for the retractable USB cable that will fit many devices including a mini USB for Windows mobile devices, and other tips for Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and the iPhone - iPod series.
Technical specifications:
Features- Based on Apple iPhone
- Standby Time: up to 750 hours
- Audio Playback : up to 72 hours
- Talk Time: up to 24 hours
- Video Playback: up to 21 hours
- Internet use: up to 18 hours
- Keep that important phone call going
Technical- Input Voltage：DC13.8V
- Output Voltage：DC5.3V/8.4V
- Size：L106×W40×H24mm
- Weight：148g
Scope
- Ideal for outdoor activities including
- Hiking
- Camping
- Festivals
- Motorcycle touring
- Wildlife photography
- Wildlife watching
Introduction:
I desperately wanted sat nav on my Yamaha R1 not only for directions, but also for the speed camera warnings because I was getting paranoid with the police seemingly lurking everywhere I went, and it only takes one small blip of the throttle to get them jumping up and down with joy, three points or worse on my license and perhaps a large fine to be paid, which is money better spent on my bike instead. So I needed some kind of peace of mind, or insurance if you like!
I didn’t want TomTom Rider or similar stand alone GPS devices, as they are bulky and hard to fit on my R1 sports bike due to lack of space under the fairing screen, and a ruddy great Ohlins steering damper and fittings across my petrol tank. Not only that but dedicated on bike satellite navigation systems only have one obvious function, yep you guessed it, satellite navigation!
I wanted more than just sat nav and thought, “why can’t I have what many people have in a car?”, for example visual and audible sat nav with speed camera warnings, being able to make or take a phone call, or play a choice of music if I want to, but all in a small form factor for my R1, and all achieved by the press of a button while riding or stationary, but totally legal and safe of course.
The solution:
I am lucky enough to have the choice of a few Windows Mobile powered phones with built in GPS for satellite navigation and decided I needed one that was compact with a large enough screen, yet powerful enough to run the applications I wanted without stuttering or freezing up. Without boring you too much with the technical stuff my choice was the O2 XDA Diamond powered by a 528mhz processor which has a crystal clear VGA screen. This device can comfortably cope with TomTom Navigator 7, Bluetooth, media playback and phone calls, all at the same time if I want to!
My first problem was a power supply to the phone, as running these applications with the screen brightness at full tilt (so that it can be seen in bright sunshine) will quickly drain the 900mAh onboard battery. I decided not to go with the obvious auxiliary / cigarette lighter type socket and plug, instead sticking with my mobile theme and going with the portable mains rechargeable U2o 5400mAh power pack instead, so there is no worry about having a discharged phone battery on a lengthy journey.
Other parts needed:
Now I have the device I want to use and the power supply sorted, it left me with a phone mounting solution, a USB to mini USB charging lead to connect the power pack and phone, and of course a Bluetooth stereo helmet kit to tie everything together. After some careful measuring and guesswork I decided I needed the following to make it all work:
1- A flexible gooseneck cycle mount (yes cycle mount!) to hold the phone safely, these are used on mountain bikes so I know it is sturdy, well made and vibration free.
2- An HTC Diamond specific phone holder.
3- A 1.8m USB to mini USB charging lead to connect the phone and battery.
4- A Bluetooth stereo helmet kit with microphone, I managed to get my hands on one but is still under testing so isn’t commercially available yet, but is very similar to the Scala Rider kits you can buy in the way it fits into, and onto the helmet itself.
A big thanks to GPSForless who came to the rescue with the necessary parts which I have listed at the end of the review.
Fitting:
The fitting of the components needed was quite straight forward, the obvious place to start was with the phone mount and holder, which click to together easily, and just needed mounting on the main stay inside the fairing, this required no dismantling of the bike at all. I had to bend the gooseneck mount around with the phone and USB lead installed just to be sure it wouldn’t snag on anything when turning the handlebars, and also to be sure I could still read the bikes speedometer without it being obstructed from view while riding.
The USB to mini USB lead installation was quite easy, I ran the lead from the phone mount to the back of the bike through the fairing and frame along the main wiring harnesses, securing it where necessary with cable ties until it came out at the back of the bike under the passenger seat. I had to remove the front fairing inserts, petrol tank and riders seat to achieve this, but no big deal really.
Now I have the mount and cable installed it was just a case of fixing the 5400mAh rechargeable battery under the passenger seat, but it had to be removable for charging but this was easily overcome using sticky backed Velcro.
The Bluetooth helmet kit wasn’t any hassle to fit, and I managed to install the stereo speakers right over my ears inside my AGV GP Pro helmet, with the microphone sitting comfortably behind the front right over my mouth, the wiring is safely tucked away behind the various linings, as I said earlier the fitting principle should be the same for most of these kits. Now it was just a case of pairing the phone and Bluetooth helmet kit together to start using it in anger on the road.
So there you have it, an affordable and viable solution to other motorcycle mounted stand alone GPS devices such as Tomtom Rider using your own phone. Not only that but you haven’t got the bulk of a purpose made motorcycle GPS system to carry around with you when you’re out and about as your phone will be kept in your pocket or elsewhere anyway. My phone should also stay fairly dry under the fairing too in wet conditions, although I am sure a wrapping of Clingfilm should help if not!
Test Results:
There isn't that much you can test with a rechargeable battery, and I found my test results near enough mirrored those given in the technical specifications at the top of the page for the iPhone. As an example of my useage I found the U2o iWalk 5400mAh Emergency Battery Charger gave at least six, and nearly seven full charges to my O2 XDA Diamond, which was ample for my needs.
Put it this way I could probably run from Lands End to John O'Groats, stop off at hotels for a couple of nights while the battery is in standby, and still have some charge left in reserve once I reach John O'Groats!
Conclusions:
I have been using this setup for a while now and it works superbly for all my needs, and the U2o battery seems to last forever! It is comforting to hear the audible speed camera warning through my headset when I am riding on roads that are new to me. I can slow down and take a call on the move without having to stop and remove my helmet, or listen to music if I want to (I prefer the sound of my bike though!), and all this achievable by a press of a button on my Bluetooth headset, I love it! I can now ride around feeling less stressed about speed cameras as I have access to all known camera locations of all types which are updated and downloadable every week or so, it is just the unknown random ones I have to look out for............. Oh no!!
Don't forget the U2o iWalk 5400mAh Emergency Battery Charger isn't just for mobile phones, it can be used for any device you might have that charges with a 5 Volt input, this will include camcorders, cameras, MP3 players and portable pocket gaming machines.
The excellent U2o iWalk 5400mAh Emergency Battery Charger is available from one of
www.u2o-uk.co.uk resellers for what I think is the very reasonable price of £44.95.
At the time of writing this review there is an on site discount of 10% for this product!
Links to other products used:
Gooseneck bike mount:
http://www.gpsforless.co.uk/product_details.php?id=4640
HTC Diamond phone holder:
http://www.gpsforless.co.uk/product_...s.php?id=14438
Navrider Bluetooth headset intercom:
http://www.ultimate-travelgear.co.uk...ider___130.htm
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