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There have not been too many changes in our everyday
batteries in the last few years, so it is nice to see something different and
useful…..Also good to see some improvements in rechargeable batteries. The colorful
Energizer Duo chargers look slightly different because their plastic cases come
in red, yellow or blue. They act a little different because they come with two
plugs that offer two ways to recharge the batteries. The charger is small
enough (3 ¾” x 1 ½”) to fit in a camera or laptop bag. It comes with a USB
cable so you can recharge your batteries from your computer’s USB port. The USB
end also slides into a regular DC adapter so you can attach it to a wall outlet
as well. Since the USB adapter fits snugly into the DC adapter, you can attach
both to the charger for storage. This is an excellent feature that will help lessen
the possibility of lost pieces.
Having two ends for the device, give the device additional
convenience and flexibility. It offers portability for the traveling power user
as well as for digital photographers who have cameras that get their power from
AA or AAA batteries. I can see myself using this in an airport or hotel room
where there are never enough power outlets.
The device includes two Energizer AAA 900 mAh NiMH rechargeable
batteries and retails for $13.99. You can download a small program from the Energizer website that tracks the progress of the charging
process and estimates the time remaining. (Both windows and Mac versions are
available.)There may be an occasion when this is useful, but mostly it’s just
an interesting widget. This type of progress meter will become truly useful
when they can incorporate it right into the device itself. Let’s hope they can
accomplish that sooner rather than later.
The device provides some pretty fast charging, revving up
two AAA in two hours, two AA in four to five hours, depending on capacity.
Energizer claims that their rechargeable batteries can be charged hundreds of
times and hold their charge for up to six months.
Date of Review: 3-25-2008
Retail Price: $13.99
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