GADGETS TAKE POWER

I am self-proclaimed gadget nut. I've always bought the latest walkmans, Mp3 players, smart phones, laptops, cameras, etc.

It's funny when I buy electronics, I always think about "how am I going to charge this on RAGBRAI?" One thing I cannot live without anymore is a smart-phone, and nothing is worse than a smart-phone with a dead battery. 

My current phone is the Motorola Droid X.  The battery life is pretty dang good compared to other smart-phones I've seen, but it will still not last a full day 'out on the road' when using it for pictures, Google maps, streaming music, a camera and of course - a phone.

I still believe in the solar panels that we sell on BIKEIOWA that are made by PowerFilm in Boone. They work well, are durable and produce endless power as long as the sun is somewhat shining, but I decided to try something new for this year. I did some research on external batteries. In the past they've been pretty bulky and inefficient, but I found one that I am sold on!

The "New Trent IMP1000" is a stylish compact battery that packs a whopping 11,000mAh into a battery pack that is about the size of your cell phone. My Droid X battery is 1500mAh. The New Trent IMP1000 is 7 times the capacity of my Droid X.

I have had the battery pack for a month now and have consistently had GREAT luck charging my devices and wanted to share on BIKEIOWA in case you need one.

"New Trent IMP1000" Details

• This is definitley one of  my best purchases of the year. At $79.95 is a BARGAIN!
  
• It comes with one USB port - Charge any device that charges through a USB connection
  
• Plug in your device and press the power button on the battery pack. You device will start charging. Once your device is fully charged, the battery pack shuts down.
• There are 3 lights on the battery pack. All 3 lights means a 'Full Charge' down to no lights means the battery pack is pretty much dead.
• It comes with a small compact AC charger (see photo) that is small enough to pack with you.
• It takes 5 hours to charge the battery pack if fully discharged.
  
• It weighs 10.05 ounces (a pound is 16 ounces).
• It does not get hot when charging the batter pack form AC, or charging other devices from the battery pack.
  

HOW I'VE USED THE NEW TRENT IMP1000

• Charged my phone solely from the battery pack for 6 days of normal usage and still had one light showing.
• Charged my phone solely from the battery pack as I streamed music from Pandora for 8+ hours a day for 4 days and still had one light showing.
  
• Took it with to the 80-35 music festival and charged my phone in a bag. It was fully charged all weekend. I also charged Jordan's phone from the dead in less than an hour.
  
• Took it on a 220 mile bike ride. I had GPS and 'My Tracks' running for 20+ hours and also used the camera for 50+ shots and normal phone usage.  The battery pack still showed 2 bars at the end of the (long) day. 
• Charged two iPods off a double USB connector for several days.
• Took on several other multi-hour bike rides while using Map My Ride, My Tracks and Google Maps. All 3 lights on the battery pack remained on. 
• Charged my iPad2 for several days - battery pack was not stressed at all.
  
• I wanted to charge a NiteRider mi-Newt but never got around to it. I assume it would work.

WHAT I DO NOT LIKE ABOUT NEW TRENT IMP1000

• It comes with a cheap retractable USB cable. Get a thicker USB cable is you will be using it out on the road.
• The AC Charger that came with mine had short in the cord. I called the company direct and they over-nighted a new AC Charger. No questions asked.
  

SOME SPECS FROM THE INTERNET

• A rating of 4.7 our of 5 stars given by 121 customer reviews
• Enjoy 50 hours Movie time for iPhone 4, 3Gs iPhone and 4G ipod touch, 17 hours for iPad 2
• Ultra reliable Lithium-Ion battery with 11000mAh, up to 600% normal battery life
  
• This is the 4th Generation USB type power bank which is compatible with latest iPad 2. It will never let your smart phones and Tablet PCs run out of battery. This compact and ultra long-lasting backup battery will let you carry the power source where ever you go. When you travel, there's no need to charge your device through an electrical outlet, THE IMP1000 IS THE ultimate POWER SOURCE! Take this with you whenever you go on a trip. Key features include:
• ground breaking capacity of 11000mAh at 5V output voltage, this tiny device can get you an extra 50 hours of iPhone 4 ipod touch movie time and 17 hours ipad 2 movie time.It is stylish and powerful!
• This backup battery pack will work with almost every device in the market, such as your iPad 2, iPhone 4 4G 3Gs 3G (Verizon and AT&T), and 1G 2G 3G 4G iPod Touch, Motorola Droid, HTC Android EVO phones and Amazon Kindle DX, Samsung galaxy, blackberry (9630, 9700, 9550, 9800), Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP.  
• Check out more at New Trent's website.

CONCLUSION

This is a GREAT buy if you want to keep your smart-phone and other devices charged up for multi-days. This will be the first thing that goes in my "RAGBRAI pile".  You cannot beat the power to weight to size ratio. It is very portable and easy to charge it and other devices. If you find a better battery pack let me know!

BUY ONE

You still have time to get one before RAGBRAI or any other trips you are taking this year.

I got mine from Amazon here

Note: BIKEIOWA has nothing to do with this company or the product. We like to relay a good thing when we see it! 

Enjoy Full power!

PHOTOS