Freeloader 8.0 Solar Charger
Posted on: March 03, 2008
Solar chargers aren't exactly the most sexy accessories to have in the gadget world, but as they become more and more popular, chances are the aesthetics will improve along with its efficiency. Enter the Freeloader 8.0 that features 11 adapters - capable of providing an additional 44 hours for a cell phone, 22 hours for a PDA, 18 hours for audio playback on an iPod, and 2.5 hours for a PSP. This Freeloader is rather small since it is a wee bit larger than an iPhone despite packing all that juice. If you're a frequent traveler, what kind of chargers do you carry around?
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Reader Comments
By james hamm , 21/06/08 5:28 PM (CommentID #739536)
I purchased two of these, one for myself and one for a friend. The plan was to use them on a trip to Europe to keep cell phones charge on long days out. Well both failed... and somewhat dangerously. I charged the first unit and it seemed to charge fine but when I plugged it into my iPhone to test its charging ability it failed. After about a minute of charging the iPhone, the freeloader pack made a little pop sound and then would no longer charge any devices.
After seeing the first unit fail, I decide to test my friends. Well it did about the same thing but this time I saw what made the pop sound. While charging a device, I saw a spark in the USB socket of the freeloader and smelled the odor of burning plastic. After this the freeloader would not longer charge devices.
It seems that the freeloader battery pack can overload when charging devices. I may have thought this to be an isolated problem but it happened with two different units. This could be dangerous if the pack were in a bag or something during charges.
I would not recommend the freeloader to anyone...in fact if they all have potential to fail the way mine did, then they should be pulled from the market.
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