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Lenmar Powerport Backup Battery Review

G

gadgetware

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 27, 2008
18
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This is my first post so please go easy on me. I am a new iPhone 3G owner and I have concerns that my battery won't always last a full day if I spend a lot of time in 3G mode, watching movies, or playing 3D games. As a backup I purchased the Lenmar Powerport last week and thought that I'd share my review of the device:

Manufacturers Product Description: Lenmar Universal Powerport Kit: AC & DC USB Power Adapter

  • [*]Universal USB PowerPort will charge or supplement iPods, Sony PSP, cell phones and PDA's or any USB Powered or chargeable device - Black Color
    [*]Includes Ultra Compact 100-240V AC - USB and Automotive 12VDC - USB Power Adapters that can Power / Recharge your device and the PowerPort
    [*]Can recharge your device up to 4-5 times on a single charge. Includes PowerPort Battery, 3 ft. charging cable with tips for iPod, PSP, Treo, Motorola RAZR/KRZR and other mini USB devices
    [*]5V 7.8Wh
    [*]1560mAh Lithium-Ion Battery


Review: I bought mine in a kit from Amazon ($35) but you can also get the stand alone device locally from most Radio Shacks ($40). The Kit comes with the powerport, AC and auto charger, a USB cable and several adapters for different devices including a mini-USB and an ipod/iphone adapter. It's really a simple device. There's a mini-USB port for charging the Powerport (either using a computer or a USB wall transformer), a standard USB port for charging your device (iPhone), and a power switch. It's slightly smaller, thinner, and lighter (2.7 oz vs. 4.8 oz.) than the iPhone itself.

My initial charge of the Powerport took about 4 hours. I let my iPhone get down to 20% and then plugged it into the Powerport using the iPhone sync cable. In about 50 minutes my phone was back to 100%. The next time my phone got a 20% warning I repeated the procedure and once again the Powerport was able charge my iPhone back to 100%. I have not tried recharging a third time and probably never will as two full recharges should meet my needs. I also tested the wind-up cable supplied with the device and it appears to work just as well as the stock Apple cable. Both the AC and auto adapter appear to work as direct chargers which is good because my Monster ipod auto charger will not work with the new iPhone 3G.


Verdict: I believe that this is a perfect device for my situation. I am confident that I could plug this in during a long flight, watch movies or play some games, and when I arrive at my destination I should have enough battery power to last the rest of the day. It also would have been extremely helpful last week when I went camping!
 

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Hey, is your usb/ac adapter hard to get the prongs out? I cant get mine out without using a nail file.
 
stupendusboi said:
Hey, is your usb/ac adapter hard to get the prongs out? I cant get mine out without using a nail file.
Click to expand...

Trade it in for the more compact Apple MB352LL/A. It's the same price as the fold-in type but it's significantly smaller, and the prongs are always extended (ie. they don't fold away). It comes in a small plastic storage box, and a syncing/charging cable is included. It's the perfect answer unless you object to the prongs being out all the time.

I just got a Powerport today and from what I can see so far, I'm going to like it a lot. My version is not the "kit" though and didn't come with the auto plug nor is the cable it came with a windup type. But it was only $30, came with a charging cable and 3 tips which suit my needs. If you need the auto plug, the kit version is a better deal, imho, it just wasn't available at the RS store I found this (on sale) in.

One thing to emphasize which took me awhile to figure out because the instructions are not clear on this: there is a BUTTON around the little light. I couldn't get it to work on my Touch until the OP of this thread pointed that button's existence out to me. Thanks. By the way, for whatever nutty reason, it did charge my BB phone and my iPod Mini WITHOUT pressing the button on, which of course added to my confusion. Go figure.
 
Can't get IPhone 3G to charge with Lenmar Powerport Backup Battery

Hey folks!
I just joined your forum, inspite of still being a PC guy. On the recommendation and reviews of this group, I purchased the Lenmar Powerport Backup Battery kit.

I have to agree, the instructions are borderline useless! I've got a problem that maybe I just can't seem to fix. I've fully charged the Lenmar battery, the blue light is on, plugged in the included plugs, and get no charging action from my IPhone 3G.

At first I thought I might have a defective battery or plug, but I've used it and it charges without any problems on both my Itouch and my Ipod. I've even taken off the supplied wiring and used the Apple connector that came with the IPhone 3G.

I've done everything I know...I'm open to suggestions...Please!!
 
LVJETBZ said:
Hey folks!
I just joined your forum, inspite of still being a PC guy. On the recommendation and reviews of this group, I purchased the Lenmar Powerport Backup Battery kit.

I have to agree, the instructions are borderline useless! I've got a problem that maybe I just can't seem to fix. I've fully charged the Lenmar battery, the blue light is on, plugged in the included plugs, and get no charging action from my IPhone 3G.

At first I thought I might have a defective battery or plug, but I've used it and it charges without any problems on both my Itouch and my Ipod. I've even taken off the supplied wiring and used the Apple connector that came with the IPhone 3G.

I've done everything I know...I'm open to suggestions...Please!!
Click to expand...

It's not clear to me that you're aware of this or not, but there is actually a physical "button" around the blue light area that must be pressed on. When I first got mine, that wasn't clear to me from the included directions. When I plugged in my cell phone or my iPod Mini, they appeared to charge with no problem, but when I plugged in my Touch, it wouldn't. Then, through trial and error and reading and re-reading the instructions, I discovered the "on" button. For some reason I can't explain, the button appeared irrelevant to some devices at some times, but was required for the Touch. Now I use it for all my devices. I did note that you stated that you had no trouble with your Touch, so I'm not sure my response will be helpful to you. One can only hope...
 
HaroldC said:
Nice! Good to see more of these products becoming available. (it's unfortunate that we need these in the first place)

I also wanted to extend the battery life and picked up the Kensington battery pack from Circuit City. It works as advertised and has a larger capacity battery, 1800 mAh. Best part was that it was only $15, after the mail-in rebate! :D

http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/Sear...keyword=38021&searchSection=All&go.x=0&go.y=0
Click to expand...

This definitely works with the 3G? It comes with the right adapters and all of that?
 
orrelse44 said:
This definitely works with the 3G? It comes with the right adapters and all of that?
Click to expand...


It comes with a mini USB to USB cable that connects to the included wall charger. You use your USB to dock connector that came wih the iphone to connect the battey to the phone. It works just like when the phone is plugged into a power source (which it is).

Used it last week and charged my phone to 100% in about an hour from the 20% warning. It drained approximately 20% of the portable battery, as there is a level meter directly on the portable battry itself.(3 of 5 LEDs still lit) Even while I used it!
 
Just received one of these today. Flying cross country with a layover in a few weeks and wanted something that would let me watch a few movies on my iPhone.

The Lenmar has been charging for 4.5 hours now and still hasn't reached a full charge...I hope it gets there soon. Does the light turn blue when it is done charging? The light is still red, but I unplugged it and pressed the button and it was blue indicating that it was charged...so I'm wondering if it turns blue once fully charged. It has now been 5 hours since I first plugged it in.

Will update the thread with my results after testing it.

Cheers.

EDIT: Has anyone tried charging the iPhone AND the Lenmar unit at the same time? Is this OK/Recommended?
 
Just updating - the Lenmar powered the phone from 20% to 100% incredibly fast. In fact, it was so fast that I'm a little concerned.

I didn't time it, but it felt like it took maybe 25 minutes or so.

I will update the thread after i see how many times i can do this with the lenmar on 1 charge...
 
martinmartin said:
I got mine (the kit) at Amazon for $35. I believe Amazon also sells the non-kit version for $30.

And I saw the Kit at a local Radio Shack for $40...
Click to expand...

Somehow I searched for the product at Amazon and found one interesting review by Wii4Mii found here.

My question is, does this work with iPhone 3G with firmware 2.1 at present - Oct. 14, 2008?

It seems that review of his was also posted today Oct 14, so I'm quite confused whether to buy this or not.
To the owners of this product, could you confirm it?
 
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Strange about that review.. It appears to have a standard USB input so you'd think it would work with any USB compatible product.
 
Rayfire said:
Somehow I searched for the product at Amazon and found one interesting review by Wii4Mii found here.

My question is, does this work with iPhone 3G with firmware 2.1 at present - Oct. 14, 2008?

It seems that review of his was also posted today Oct 14, so I'm quite confused whether to buy this or not.
To the owners of this product, could you confirm it?
Click to expand...

I also saw that review when I was searching around, but decided to ignore it considering there were many more people saying it DID work. Plus the review at the top of this thread.

I can confirm the unit works with iPhone 3G 2.1.

I originally charged the Lenmar for 5-5.5 hours. Then used it to charge my iPhone 3G from about 20% to 100% (very fast, maybe 25-30 minutes). Then, the next day, I used it again to charge my iPhone from about 15%-85% when the light on the Lenmar (after about 45 minutes) started blinking blue and seemed to have lost power. Pressing the button on the Lenmar after that (to see if it lit up blue or red) actually did nothing - it apparently had no juice left.

I am charging the Lenmar again - this time using the tiny adapter that came with the iPhone. I'm curious if it will charge any faster than it did with the supplied AC adapter.

Hope this helps.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
martinmartin said:
I also saw that review when I was searching around, but decided to ignore it considering there were many more people saying it DID work. Plus the review at the top of this thread.

I can confirm the unit works with iPhone 3G 2.1.

I originally charged the Lenmar for 5-5.5 hours. Then used it to charge my iPhone 3G from about 20% to 100% (very fast, maybe 25-30 minutes). Then, the next day, I used it again to charge my iPhone from about 15%-85% when the light on the Lenmar (after about 45 minutes) started blinking blue and seemed to have lost power. Pressing the button on the Lenmar after that (to see if it lit up blue or red) actually did nothing - it apparently had no juice left.

I am charging the Lenmar again - this time using the tiny adapter that came with the iPhone. I'm curious if it will charge any faster than it did with the supplied AC adapter.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

So there are no messages like "this accessory is not compatible ..." or anything like that right?

Odd, how come that guy posted such a review :confused:

I'm planning to get one because I'll be scheduled for a long int'l flight in a couple of months and I need something to power up my iPhone 3G while watching movies.
 
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