The whole purpose of having 1000 apps and the ability to do everything on the go is the fact that we want to be able to do anything, anywhere we want. Unfortunately this convenience is plagued by the need to carry an additional charger on a daily basis.
I was a bit skeptical when I was sent the PowerBar 4200 from FatCat for 2 reasons. Firstly, I haven’t had success with any accessory working with my iPhone 5 and second – it’s way too cute to be functional. Did it prove me wrong? Let’s see….
First Impressions
The first thing I noticed is that the PowerBar 4200 is compact and easy on the eyes. The 4200 refers to the 4200 mAh Lithium Polymer Battery – which is more than double the capacity of most smart phones. It’s available in 5 colors – BLUE, BLACK, RED, ORANGE and SILVER. The review unit I got is Orange. I’m not a fan of the color but I found it surprising appealing to look at. Added bonus – It came fully charged out the box and ready to go.
Extras
The PowerBar 4200 comes with a master cord, drawstring travel case, users manual and additional tips to make the master cord compatible with most cellphones, mp3 players, pda and even the PSP. Which means you don’t have to worry about carrying any extra USB cords with you. Unfortunately, there is no compatible tip for the iPhone 5, however the PowerBar also allows you to use your devices own USB power cord. If need be you can also charge your PowerBar while it’s charging your device.
It also comes with advanced tech that recognizes how much power your device actually needs which saves your device from over-charging, over-discharging and offers short-circuit protection.
Experience
I rather enjoyed using the PowerBar – honestly I stopped carrying all my other travel chargers as I’ve found this one more fitting for my lifestyle. The PowerBar is simple to use – there are two USB ports and a power button. That power button doubles as a strength indicator with 4 segments. 1 segment lit means you have 25%, 2 segments = 50% and so on and so forth. On a random Tuesday my iPhone died and I was working offsite I was able to get my iPhone back to a full charge in what felt like an hour (I was too busy to time it accurately). I used it a few more times throughout my week to charge a couple of devices for friends and by the weekend I still had 1 lit segment. Sold!
Conclusion
If you’re tired of having to charge your phone in the car, scheduling your day around the dreaded red low battery alert on your phone or going on a scavenger hunt to find a wall outlet – then this is definitely worth the purchase. I also appreciate that when friends are over I don’t have to cringe when they ask can they plug-in their device I can nicely hand them the PowerBar to use. They don’t worry about missed calls I don’t worry about increased utility bills. It’s compact enough to fit in your pocket or purse undetected and stylish enough to catch everyone’s attention. The $79.95 price tag is definitely worth the peace of mind that you have power and that even if you use it today to fully charge your device – you won’t have to recharge your PowerBar before your next emergency.
