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This review was a slight late in being posted. Things are somewhat winding down at school but there’s still lots happening like sports days, appreciation days, etc. Besides, the sun has been out and warm and it’s hard to stay home and motivated to write (okay, so I admit I’ve been lazy). But, as I’ve mentioned before, I am trying to take things a lot slower and posting things when they are ready so even Tuesday may not be the day when I have reviews posted. Your best bet again is to subscribe to the email subscription for the full post (details at the bottom) or the RSS feed (off to the right sidebar) and be notified when new posts are online. My objective has always been to provide something interesting, useful and helpful and if I can’t push out the material, I’d rather wait until the material is ready. So keep that in mind when you’re wondering why I don’t post every day or as often as you’d prefer. This is, and I hope will always be, a hobby that will last a long time.

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Palm Discovery gives a BIG THANKS to Brando for providing the product for this review.

As I’ve previously discussed in numerous reviews, one of the frequent problems we face today in an ever power hungry environment of portable devices is the need for portable power. Having a portable electronic device obviously has its benefits as we can now do a lot of tasks as well as enjoying entertainment while we’re up in the air, or sitting in bus or train. Due to its small and portable size, there is a limit to how much power the little device can store and as things always happen at the most inopportune time, we may run out of batteries or power just when we’re airborne, or when there’s no wall socket nearby or whatever.

This is where something like Brando’s Power Backup can really come handy. Like many other similar emergency or portable power solutions, Brando’s Power Backup is, essentially, a Lithium Ion battery that can be charged via the USB port of your computer or simply via a powered USB hub. As most of us will likely bring along our laptop with us in our travels, we can easily use it to charge the Lithium Ion battery pack quickly. Or, add an adapter for the car’s cigarette lighter and wall adapter and you now have more choices for power.

Unlike previous battery solutions that rely on the dry cell (alkaline) batteries for power, where I have found that it only charged my Palm device up to 70-80% before it would stop and only start overheating, this Lithium Ion will fully charge my Palm device and remains cool to the touch.

For those who want to skip over all the detailed review and just want a summary, you can jump to the review summary

Pics of Brando Power Backup

Click on the thumbnail images for a bigger picture

Video of Power Backup

Video at YouTube

Alternative link: Video at Vimeo

Details of Brando Power Backup (taken from Brando’s website):

# Features: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery

# Standard 5V-USB DC Output
# On/Off Switch
# Green LED Indicator Switch
# Built-in Short Circle, Over Discharge
# Over Load and Over Charge Protection
# Charge it by direct plug or USB Cable
# Charging Time: Approx. 3 Hours
# Size: 70×50x12mm
# Weight: 71g

Specification:

# Capacity: 2400mAh
# Input: DC-5V
# Output: Standard 5V-USB
# Working Temperature: 0~45 degree

Colours:

# Black
# White

Package Contents:

# USB Power Backup (2400mAh)
# USB Charging Cable

Brando’s Power Backup is slightly smaller (lengthwise) but thicker in size than a regular credit card. It comes supplied with a charging cable where connect it to a USB port or hub. That’s it. No extra cables or wires or anything else.

Looking at the front of the device, near the top, you can see the LED light indicator which is green when charging or discharging and turns off when it’s fully charged or out of juice. Beside, it, there’s a slider switch that will allow you to expose or extend the normally hidden USB connector. This USB connector is normally hidden on the right side of the battery pack and when you slide it out, the connector will stick out. This makes the LiOn battery pack a fully portable device, allowing you to eliminate bringing along the USB charging cable. So, you simply bring along this flat credit card sized device and you’ve got some portable power. But, you still need to bring along your own portable device’s USB charging cable, however, in order to charge up your device. At the left side, there’s an ON/OFF switch as well as a USB connector for your mobile device’s charging cable. This is where you connect your mobile device to the battery pack and turn on the charger and allow it to charge up your device. Because there is an ON/OFF switch, you will need to remember to turn it off when you are finished charging as it will not automatically turn off by itself. At the bottom, there’s the 5V DC port where you can use the supplied charging cable to charge the battery pack via a USB port. Again, if you are able to charge via the hidden USB connector on the right, you may not need to use it with charging cable, eliminating an extra cable to bring along. At the bottom left corner of the device, you can wrap a lanyard or similar threaded loop for portability.

Here are my observations: This is a very nice, small, portable battery pack for your mobile device. Its smaller size (lengthwise) than a credit card really makes it very pocketable and I really like how it is practically self-contained. You are supplied with a USB charging cable but you can still operate by using the USB connector hidden in the top right. Obviously, you may need to remove everything in the USB port or hub in order to fit it, but it’s nice to know that you can still use it right out of the box if required. I like how the switches aren’t easily turned on so that you can’t easily accidentally drain the battery while it’s in your bag. The only thing negative I can say about this is that first of all, it’s a lower capacity battery compared to another similar battery pack I’ve recently reviewed. Second, I’ve found that when extending the USB connector to plug into the USB port that I needed to keep my finger on the slider switch so that the USB connector won’t get pushed back in. So, my suggestion for improvement is possibly having some kind of “locking” mechanism that will keep the USB connector stuck out. Regardless, this is still a great little battery pack.

Review Summary

The Brando Power Backup is an extremely light and portable battery pack that won’t add much weight or take up much space in your suitcase when traveling. It is well designed for what it does, which is to offer a portable back up power for your mobile device when power is not readily available. I was able to fully charge up my Treo from a level of 70%. Due to its small size and capacity, don’t expect that you will be able to have much more than one full charge or top up for your mobile device before the Power Backup is out of juice. My only gripe is that the normally hidden USB connector will get pushed back in when you try to plug it into a USB port because there’s nothing to “lock” it in place. So I have to keep my finger on the switch to keep it out when plugging it in.

For what it offers given its size and capacity, the Brando Power Backup packs a big punch. Again, Palm Discovery thanks Brando for offering this product for the review. If you’re interested in this product, check it out at Brando’s website here.

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