The smaller of the two is OK in a pinch, but the Powerhouse charges my Zen X-Fi2 or my Motorola Cell Phone more than twice as fast. From empty, it charged my Motorola i425 in TEN MINUTES, four times and it still had juice to spare. I was able to recharge my Zen X-Fi2 twice, and could have charged it more. I didn't have enough time to empty the player and recharge it to find out just how many. But it was obvious to me that it was going to meet the needs I bought it for. It took more than twice as long for the pocket unit to charge my phone, and did so only once.
If you are buying one of these, I'd suggest the Powerhouse over any other. Duracell Powerhouse USB Charger with Lithium ion battery / includes universal cable with USB and mini USB,
The packaging for this charger indicated 1.2x full charge for an Android phone. I have a Motorola Droid. When the phone was on, the portable charger charged the phone to 60% with 2 basic apps running (email, keyboard). When I turned the phone off, the portable charger charged the phone to 90%. In both instances, the phone battery started at less than 5% charged. Now clearly, I never got a full charge from this portable charger, but it certainly comes in handy when you want to take those last few pictures or you need that GPS on your phone to work for at least another 30 minutes. And it came in really handy when the rental car didn't have a plug to plug-in the car cell phone charger.
The trick to remember is, to always bring the USB cord that comes with your phone so you can actually plug the phone into the portable charger!!
For the price, I say it's a decent value. The packaging is a bit misleading, but I'm certainly glad that I have it.
I just wish that the portable charger could be re-charged with a plug-in wall attachment. There was an instance, when I wasn't around a computer to plug in the USB cord for the charger and I hadn't brought the "standard" plug-in wall charger that comes with the phone with me. All I had was the portable charger and the USB cord and no power source that would work... But it simply means, I have to plan better next time and bring everything with me.
I purchased this a while back for my Iphone 3gs. I am so in love with this product. It charges my iphone 1.5 times its battery. What I love the most is being able to stream radio and charge at the same time. This little thing charges pretty fast too. The size is shorter than the iphone, about the same width but thicker depthwise. Perfect for a pocket. I recommend this for any iphone 3gs(or lower) user. I'm not sure how well it'll charge the 4g. I can only hope Duracell comes out with an upgraded version with a higher capacity later.
It's a good battery backup if you need one for your device. Although, I looked like kind of a moron with a cable and two boxes in my hands. But, hey, whatever gets the job done, right?
Only other complaint is that mini USB is pretty outdated. Only a minor complaint- you can use any USB cable you want anyhow. But most phones I've seen these days use micro USB.
Other than that it'll charge your devices for a little while longer and it does that well. What more could you really ask for?
I bought this to recharge my Garmin GPS cycling computer for long road rides. Since the Garmin only lasts 5-6 hours, for longer days in the saddle, or multiday tours, I'm able to connect it to the USB and it is small and light enough to park the charger in my top tube bag. It charges the unit in about 2 hours, even while the GPS is in use, and I'm able to recharge the GPS 3 times from this device before a reload. Perfect!
I use this product as a second battery while on long trips. I hate skulking around airports looking for power outlets. Most are already taken by 15 year-olds who simply can't survive 5 minutes without texting somebody. Doesn't quite fully charge up my Samsung Epic smartphone but it does give me several more hours of heavy usage. Small, lightweight, perfect for what I need. For 20 bucks, much cheaper than a spare battery.
Complaints are minimal - on/off button is recessed into the body but not completely protected so I am always careful how I cram it into my backpack so as not to unintentionally turn it on un. Also, there is no meter to gauge how much power you have left. I think it just shuts off when it is no mas. I would recommend this product.
As a tent camper I gladly rough it without many things, but music is not one of those things. I have a shuffle and an incredibly small iHome USB charged portable speaker that I use with this product. I used to have to use AA or AAA battery powered devices on my trips due to lacking electricity, but that's become a thing of the past (making this product both cost-effective and environmentally friendly). I am amazed that something the size of a standard deck of playing cards can do what this does. I have been able to charge my shuffle 3 times and my iHome speaker 1 time with the Powerhouse fully charged up and there's still juice in it to spare.
The Powerhouse is supposed to be able to charge 2 products at the same time. I haven't tried that yet since I drain my rechargeable devices right down to nothing before I charge them. Since my shuffle and iHome haven't fizzled out at the same time I'm not able to comment on that capability. I'm also unable to comment as to how long it takes this product to fully charge anything since I seem to forget to make note of it - I have 2 shuffles so while one is charging I can use the other and if my iHome is charging I can use my headphones until it's done. I also charge it using a standard USB wall adapter vs. using a USB input on my computer (which is what the instructions say to do).
The Powerhouse packs a lot of punch for its price and size with the products I've described here. Highly recommended. - Duracell - Cell Charger - Cell Phone Accessory - Cell Phone Charger'
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