Monkey Business!!

Now and again I come across a gadget that I really HAVE to have.

One such item was the Powermonkey Classic V2 Portable Charging device from Powertraveller.com .

I read briefly about it on a friends Facebook page and decided to check it out. I was impressed, and I picked one up in Duty Free on the way through Dublin Airport, en route to New York for a family break.

It isn't much to look at as a piece of technology. Just a little oval shaped plastic device with a sliding power button and an LED that flashes green or red depending on what you are doing with it. It has an output lead that connects, with the aid of the relevant tip, to whatever device you need to charge and a mains input for charging the device itself.

It can be charged from the mains, with the supplied AC Adaptor or from a PC using the supplied USB connector. It has to be said that if you decide to use your PC to charge it, it takes up to 6 hours to fully charge, over twice as long compared to the AC adaptor.

Once it is charged though, you just pop it in your pocket or bag and forget about it until you need it. It can hold a charge for up to one year and can extend the battery life of an average mobile phone by up to 96 hours and an iPod up to 40 hours. These are the manufacturers guides, I haven't had time to check their accuracy yet, but I'm guessing they might be on the optimistic side If I'm to judge by other manufacturers claims about their products.

For under €50 for the Classic (I bought the standard Silver, for some crazy reason it's more expensive for one of the alternative colours) it's the kind of gadget that will just keep on giving.

While in New York it was passed to everybody in the family at some stage, charging MP3 players, iPod Touch's, mobile phones and even a small digital camera while on the move.

The most common utterance while we were out walking was usually "Who has the Monkey?".

If your chosen device is not among the included tips (seen below) then the manufacturers have a huge range of Tips for sale on their website. I've just ordered one for my Panasonic Lumix TZ5. Most of the Tips retail for about €4 + postage.

The Powermonkey Classic V2 is definitely my Gadget of the Month :-)