I was going through our storage room as I normally do at work and stumbled upon this gem: the iTurbo iPod charger. Basically, it’s an external battery for anything with an iPod dock connector.
In the package all there really was was the power tube, a AA battery, and the cable that connects the power to the iPod dock. The setup of it was easy as it can get; just put the battery in it, twist the cap on, and plug it all in. There’s even a little LED at the top that would blink to show that it was charging.
After reading the instructions, and allowing the iPhone to charge for 20 minutes, I realized that I should probably turn it off to allow it to charge “more efficiently.” I shut it off, since it’s not supposed to really be blinking, it’s supposed to be just on. Oops…that would explain the battery icon switching between “charging” and showing that it’s just using another power source.
[12 Minutes later] With the iPhone off, it’s kind of a pain, since I have no idea how much longer I have to go before it’s fully charged, so I’d figure I’d check. Needless to say, there hasn’t been much progress, but I’m still hopeful about it.
Sad to say, but watching this thing charge is a little boring, so during this test, I’ve been shooting random videos. So if you’re good boys and girls, I’ll post them!
[About 1.5 hours into test] The light’s started flickering again, so maybe the charge is almost complete, I’m going to check again in 30 minutes, ending the test [since, by then, it should be a full charge]
The Verdict:
The iTurbo isn’t as perfect as those $50-$100 solutions, but it does do the job well enough to allow your iPhone to survive long enough for it to last until you’re able to get to an actual charger. Personally, I would recommend the use of it, due to the price and performance, as minimal as it is.
