The Gadget: Callpod’s Fueltank, a 2-in-1 portable battery/charger that can power up any two mobile devices simultaneously, from phones to Bluetooth to portable media players. It uses the same tips as the six-way Chargepod charger, so anything compatible with that is compatible with this.
The Price: $70 online, but should be available at Best Buy for $60
The Verdict: Convenient. The Fueltank does exactly what it says it does: charge two devices simultaneously on the road. It’s made even better because the charging tips are the same ones used in the Chargepod, so you can support just about every mobile gadget you have.
In our test, a completely empty Windows Mobile phone and a completely drained Callpod Dragon charged up to full in about three hours. After this, the Fueltank still had enough juice left to power the phone for another two hours. One quirk though, is that the battery status display only works correctly when the Fueltank isn’t plugged in to a power source, and displays somewhere between half to full power when you activate it while it’s charging via a wall socket. It works correctly when disengaged and powering other devices.
It’s kinda similar to the Powergorilla that we tested last week, but only for smaller portable devices and not laptops. In our view, it’s definitely worth $60 as a backup or extended battery, especially if you’ve got a phone like the T-Mobile G1 that can barely last a day on moderate use. The Fueltank is the same thickness and about 1.5x as wide as the G1, so it’s easily slipped into your laptop bag. A good device for anyone who travels regularly and needs supplemental power where there’s no outlets to be found. [Callpod]
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