Review: Versa Battery

This will be my last post here for a while.  I am now part of the writing team at TheMacFeed.com.  All of my future posts will be featured there, although I will give you the first paragraph and a link to the articles on the new blog.  But now, what you have been expecting:  A review for the Versa Battery!

Recently, I was given the opportunity to review Versatile Studio's VS190 portable battery.  Versatile designed this battery to compliment and work well with the Macbook Pro line of computers.  In order to test this unit properly, I hooked it up to one of Apple's new 15" i7 Macbook Pros with Anti-Glare.  I will discuss this battery on a number of levels, including aesthetics, portability, truth to advertiser's claims, and usability.

The battery itself is artfully designed.  It contrasts well with the Macbook Pro hardware, and can very conveniently be set underneath or beside the Macbook Pro to rest.  The size of the battery is also very well-considered.  It is small enough to fit in your laptop bag without making it too bulky.  The machined edges of the battery's casing also make it appeal more to the design of the Macbook Pro.

More important than the looks of the product, however, is how it functions.  According to the manufacturer, the Versa Battery is capable of providing 6 additional hours of power at full processor load with an external high-res camera attached.  They also claim that you can use two of the three power ports (12v, 19v, 5vUSB) at the same time, with no decrease in performance.  To test these claims, I first determined how long my Mac would last in a certain situation - it turns out that if I use my Macbook Pro to broadcast 1080P video footage to an HDTV (in this case, I was broadcasting Star Trek via VLC), I get 2 hrs, 21 minutes of battery life.  The fans run at just over 3000RPM, and the processor load is over 60%.  With the Versa Battery, however, I was able to broadcast continually for an impressive 7 hrs, 49 minutes.

The next test was continually using two ports at the same time.  I just happened to have a 12v portable DVD player, which I plugged in to the unit alongside my Macbook Pro.  I set both tasks to activities with high power draw, which worked flawlessly for the life of the battery.  USB draw also provided excellent results - this battery can power my iPhone for a seemingly infinite amount of time!  It also (rather importantly) provides an auxilary USB port to use for power - in case you have a high-draw USB device like some USB hard drives, you can use it without monopolizing all of the drives on your MBP.  It seems, then, that the product is true to it's manufacturer's promises as far I as can determine.  This is unsurprising, as the unit not only seems well-built from the look and feel, but also sports the appropriate hardware - a 190Wh battery (The new MBP's sport a 77.5Wh battery, meaning this, by spec alone, more than triples battery capacity).

Now, to discuss usability.  Before using the battery (which ships completely drained), you must charge it to 100%.  In my test, this took over 4 hours.  However, another way to look at that is an "overnight charge," since you can't overcharge it by leaving it plugged it.  The battery also comes with a large number of adapters, as well as a modified Magsafe cable for usage with a Macbook Pro.  The included tips work with the majority of laptops on the market.  It also comes with extension cables, which provides additional usefulness.  As a freelance computer tech, I can see myself using this all the time when working with people's laptops.

To conclude, I have some difficulty finding a serious fault with this product.  It performs as promised, delivers incredible amounts of extra power, is stylish and well-designed, and is portable enough to easily slip into a backpack or briefcase.  I give this battery a high recommendation, especially for the price ($350, plus a nominal shipping fee.)  For more information on the Versa Battery, or to purchase one, check out the product website.

Griffin's Simplifi iPhone Dock

Hello again Readers,

As you no doubt know, the iPod Shuffle contest has come to an end (Congrats @TulipsRnice!) However, as promised, there is more content and more fun ahead!  

 Today, I will be reviewing Griffin's Simplifi iPhone Dock and Media Reader.  The Simplifi is an interesting device, but one which we like very much.  The idea behind the Simplifi is that it will de-clutter your desk, eliminating need for a separate media card reader, iPhone dock, and USB hub.  Instead, the Simplifi combines all these into one, and does so in a stylish and well-designed fashion.

Inside the box are dock inserts for the majority of Apple's hand-held products, including the iPhone 3G/3GS.  Also inside is an AC adapter, all the cables you need, and a user's manual.  Also inside is the dazzling aluminum contraption itself.

Now, in my investigation, I tested the device in a number of scenarios.  First, in the bedroom, on my bedside table.  This is once scenario in which the Simplifi would not work.  It did not power on, did not charge my iPhone, and in fact did little more than look like an attractive piece of metal.  However, in Griffin's defense, this particular iPhone dock was not designed for that type of use.

The second scenario was the Simplifi hooked to a windows PC.  Although it did take the drivers awhile to work, it did eventually work very well under Windows XP, Vista, and also Windows 7.  I was able to fully utilize its abilities as a dock, media card reader, and USB hub, although admittedly, the USB performance was a little bit laggy in Windows (which is more that fault of Windows itself than of Griffin.)

The third scenario was with the Simplifi hooked up to my Macbook Pro.  This was by far the most pleasant of the three scenarios.  The device worked immediately with no delay, USB operated at full speed, the media card readers worked flawlessly, and I could ecen multitask with it - uploading photos from an SD card while charging my iPhone and transferring via USB.

In conclusion, the Griffin Simplifi is a very well-designed device.  It is also extremely visually attractive, and will meet the needs of the average dock user.  Now, to present the final list of pros and cons.

Pro:
Great aesthetic appeal.
Can multitask with ease.
Includes adapters for iPhones and iPods.
Saves desk clutter.
Is not too large, and is nicely weighted.
Comes with all necessary cabling and adapters.
Reasonably priced.

Con:
Must be connected to a computer to function (cannot be used as a bedstand dock).
Slow performance under Windows

Overall, it seems as if the benefits outweigh the negatives, but you be the judge!

To find out more about the Simplifi, please visit Griffin's website for the product: http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/simplifi

But wait...  There's more!  I am giving away a Simplifi on Twitter!  It is the review unit, so it has only been used for the purposes of this review, and comes in the retail box with all accessories.  To enter to win, just RT the following on Twitter: "Win a Griffin Simplifi! Just follow @JGKunzler and RT this tweet! Drawing 5/1. http://bit.ly/cnQMka"

Thanks for reading, and good luck in the contest!

Reminder: Enter our contest!

A quick reminder to you all: Tomorrow, out iPod Shuffle contest officially ends.  If you have not joined yet, please consider doing so.  As a reminder: In order to enter, just retweet the following:

"Enter to win an iPod Shuffle! For real this time! Just follow @JGKunzler and RT this message! Drawing 4/24. http://bit.ly/9TGpHD"

Thanks, and I'll announce the winner tomorrow!

Hello, Welcome, And a Giveaway!

Thank you for visiting my new blog - one that I hope will be successful in allowing me to share more complex content with my facebook, twitter, and other internet followers.

Throughout the following weeks and months, I'll be sharing with you a variety of stories, reviews, and looks at a variety of gadgets for Apple products - this includes iPods, iPads, iPhones, and the Macintosh line of computers (and other things as they come along).

But enough of the boring stuff.  I'd like to take this opportunity to announce my first Twitter giveaway!  I'll be giving away a 2GB silver iPod Shuffle (courtesy of dealspl.us, thanks guys!) to one of my lucky twitter followers.  To be eligible to win, you must follow me on twitter and retweet the following message: "Enter to win an iPod Shuffle! For real this time! Just follow @JGKunzler and RT this message! Drawing 4/24. http://bit.ly/9TGpHD"

Stay tuned sometime next week for a review of a new external battery for the Macbook Pro!

Thanks,
Glenn