In my earlier post about the blackout here in San Diego I mentioned that I realized after that event that I could really use an external battery for my iPhone and iPad. Well, I found one and I have been using it for about two weeks now. The model I bought is made by a company called New Trent, which is based in Fremont, CA.
I can’t vouch for the long-term reliability of this product yet, but so far, so good. I would give it high marks for design and functionality. With two ports it is capable of providing extra juice to an iPhone and an iPad simultaneously. I have not yet attempted to fully charge two devices with this battery, but I will at some point and I will report back with results.
I’m going to give this product a rating of 7 out of 10. I may change that rating in the future, based on how well it performs over the long-term.
UPDATE: I’ve used this battery for several months now and I’m not going to change the score of 7 out of 10 that I initially gave this device. However, I do have a better idea of the battery’s limitations. It can fully re-charge a totally drained iPhone, with plenty of juice left over. It might be able to re-charge the iPhone twice. The iPad is a different matter. This particular external battery only seems to be capable of re-charging a totally drained iPad to 55% to 60% of the iPad’s battery capacity. NEW Trent and other manufacturers do make a variety of different external batteries for the iPhone and iPad, including some that are larger and more powerful than the model I purchased. So, if you want an external battery that can fully re-charge an iPad you should consider another model.
gmf journal 