QUICK LOOK

• Easy charging on-the-go
• Light and versatile
• 10x more powerful than a regular battery
• An essential travel companion

Whether you're a high-end business executive or a stay-at-home mom, it's quite impossible to go without some form of gadget in this age of technology, e-mail and social media. But what do you do when you're on the go, and your cellphone gives you the all too familiar warning: "Attention: Battery Low"..? The answer is simple: pull out your Powermonkey and get your gadget charged up right away, no plugs required! 

Introducing, the Powermonkey!

The Powermonkey Classic is an absolutely awesome emergency charging device, that allows you to give that extra bit of charge to a cellphone, MP3 player or PDA, just when you thought you were heading for a technology-less moment.

Revive your gadgets: which ones?

Oooh fun, it's a guessing game!

Have cellphone brands ever thought of using a single connector type for charging mobile phones, rather than all of those different bits and blots? Actually, this concept is apparently well on the way, but for now, if you can't find a charger specific to your phone brand, you're stuck! Luckily, there are 9 connectors supplied with the Powermonkey, so you're bound to find the one you need. I tried to guess what the different connectors were used for, but only correctly guessed about 4 out of the 9 supplied connector tips. The manual had to assist me in identifying the rest. 

You are ready to use the Powermonkey Classic if you have any of the following devices:

• iPod
• Sony Ericsson (Wide 750i tip)
• LG Chocolate
• Samsung (G600 tip)
• Nokia (Mini DC2.0 tip)
• PSP
• Digital Cameras (DC 4.0 tip)
• Devices that use the Micro and Mini USB tips

This charger comes with an incredibly convenient travel bag. With measurements of 80mm by 120mm, the travel bag is small enough to slip into any handbag, yet large enough to hold all of the connectors, as well as the Powermonkey itself. 

Incredibly convenient for travel.

So, the Powermonkey charges your gadgets, but how do you charge the Powermonkey?!

While I mainly used this gadget to charge my almost-dead cellphone battery, I came to realise that you cannot rely on the Powermonkey as a constant power supply alone, and I had to keep in mind that this is an EMERGENCY charger only. The device itself needs to be charged every so often to allow it to be available for that emergency charge. Depending on which gadgets you're using it for, the battery life ranges from 96 hours for mobile phones, to around 30 hours for other devices. The Powermonkey Classic is specifically designed for iPod, supplying up to 40 hours reserve battery power for this device.

The Powermonkey has two lights on it: one which indicates that the device plugged into it is being charged, and a second that shows when the Powermonkey itself is being charged. To charge the Powermonkey, you can either use the USB-to-PC cable, or one of a number of chargers, suited to over 150 different country power supply / plug types.

Once charged up with the Powermonkey, my phone didn't always last as long as it would when charged with the standard charger, however it did supply me with more than enough additional hours to use the phone. I mainly tested the Powermonkey on my cellphone: a good old Sony Ericsson, but also had success when using it to charge my PSP. 

The man critter was quite impressed by this device, and got himself one as well while travelling abroad. For the Blackberry fans, I can vouch that the Powermonkey is especially great if you often use the GPS on your Blackberry: an app which is quick in draining the battery power. Keep the Powermonkey close at hand while you're in the car, and the GPS  won't have much of a chance at munching up your Blackberry battery life. (Thank you for the tip, man critter!)

Design and colour

As mentioned in my Snapshot, the look of the Powermonkey is, well, impressive. I say this because it does in fact leave a lasting impression on the visual-minded, especially if you've chosen the pink one! Other colours available are black, purple, blue and white.

What about the "Case of the Ever-Dying Laptop?"

Unfortunately, the Powermonkey Classic does not support laptop charging, but I did some quick research into the range of devices that Powertraveller has to offer. The Powermonkey has family members such as the Powergorilla, specifically designed to charge laptop batteries, and the Startmonkey, for cars and bikes. There are also different versions of the Powermonkey, such as the solar-charging Powermonkey Explorer, and the more basic Powerchimp.       

Not just in any store

Sounds excellent, right? So where do you get this almighty gadget-saving gadget?  I happened to first see this gadget on ThinkGeek, but a number of local gadget stores and outdoor specialists currently stock these. Try Drifters and Outdoor Warehouse, or The Gadget Shop, or check out www.wintecsolutions.co.za for more info. 

Have fun with your monkey!

Turn ons

• The look of the Powermonkey – compact and sleek, with quite the turn-on power!
• Convenient travel size
• Emergency cellphone or camera power when you're on the go

Turn offs

• In a perfect world, your emergency charger would charge itself. Until then, you have to still charge it manually
• The travel bag is great for carrying the connectors, Powermonkey and USB charger, but the larger power plugs need to be carried separately.

Price: R499.00