Wrist Power [Gadget]

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Posted By Jeff On April 5, 2010 @ 9:40 am

A few months ago (actually a year come to think of it) there was a new product that came out called Wrist power (or Wrist Band Portable Battery), a universal battery recharger that you wear on your wrist. Within 24 hours of me reading the article on Boing Boing, they were sold out. Last month, they came back in stock, and I’m sure I was first in line to get one.

To be honest, I had a hard time getting it from the post office, but I can’t regret the extra effort. Wrist power charges up using as micro USB to USB cord, takes about 4 hours to fully charge and holds a fair amount. I was able to charge my Motorola Milestone from 50% to 100% in just over an hour (this while I was using it with GPS turned on, so I’d say it gave it about an 80% charge). It was well worth the $27 bucks it cost me (including S&H).

The Wrist Power bracelet came with a Nintendo DS, PSP, mini USB, Ipod, a ‘Nokia plug’ and a ‘Samsung connector’ (no idea what it’s called). It connects using pin, so most recharger ends will work. I ended up having to pick up a Motorola car charger kit from The Source to get mine, works fine with the bracelet.

Pros:

Cheap price
Charges quickly
Holds a good amount of power
Recharges device quickly
Not that bulky

Cons:

‘Universal’ didn’t have the micro USB connector I needed
Strap has 2 snaps, but only 1 snap hole (so the 1st snap sticks out if you have small wists)
Rubber grip on the outside tends to make taking off long sleeve shirts a hassle
Fear of being Luke Skywalker’d if it blows up.

Overall, I like this product. It does what I wanted it to do, and does it pretty easily. I like the idea of knowing that when my phone dies because I’ve checked in to 20 places on Foursquare and watched 50 youtube videos I have a backup. Oh, and it makes me look cool…right?

You can buy it for as low as $22 CAD at ChinaVasion in either black or White.