USBCELL AA Rechargable Battery - 2 Cell Pack - MXAA02 | List Price: $19.95
Discount Price: $17.95
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Brand: USBCell
Binding: Electronics
Features: - Easy Charge from any USB Port - 90% recharged in 5 hours
- NiMH 1.2v 1300mah AA battery
- Easy recharge on the go, at home or in the office
- Can be recharged hundreds of times - saving you money and helping reduce waste
Ingenious product - just not very practical [Posted on 2008-06-05]
This product (USBCELL) is based on a great idea - the kind of idea that makes you smack your forehead and exclaim "Why didn't *I* think of that!" Basically you take a '3/4 AA' NiMH cell, and attach an USB-powered charger on top of it. Now you've got a rechargeable AA battery that can be charged from any USB port. So you'll never be caught without a battery charger - as long as there is a computer nearby.
Great idea aside, there are practical limitations for this USBCELL:
- It is very expensive (about 4 times the cost of a typical AA NiMH cell).
- Its capacity is only 1300mAh (compared to 2000-2700mAh for a typical AA NiMH cell).
- Its charging time is relatively long (5 hours to charge to 90%)
The product description claims that you can also recharge the USBCELL in a "standard approved 250 mAh recharger". But make sure that the charger is a 'smart' one. A timer-based 'dumb' charger will badly overcharge the USBCELL, because it treats all cells as having a typical capacity of 2500mAh.
It is true that you don't need to buy a separate charger for the USBCELL. But the economy of scale is stacked against it in any demanding appliances such as digital camera. For the price of just two USBCELL, you can buy a good charger+battery package (such as the Sanyo USB Charger and Sanyo Travel Charger). This way, you get much greater battery capacity and shorter charging time. For anything that requires more than two AA cells, the USBCELL solution becomes even less cost-effective.
It is also true that using USBCELL instead of disposable alkaline cells can reduce your 'carbon footprint' on this planet. But the same can be said for any rechargeable batteries. Compared to a typical AA NiMH cell, the USBCELL requires more energy to produce, and has a shorter lifespan (lower capacity means it has to be recharged more often). Therefore it generates more waste in the end.
Of course, for certain niche applications (such as wireless mouse) the USBCELL is still a good option. At least it looks cool, and makes a great conversation piece.
I just love these batteries. [Posted on 2008-06-17]
I don't have much to say beyond the title of my review: I have been using these batteries for years now (waited for their release and then pounced on them the second they were sold globally) and am a big fan. I love the concept of rechargeable batteries, and these are fantastic because they don't require a charger. I am on my computer most of the day as it is; it takes no effort whatsoever to pop one or two onto USB ports when necessary. I would recommend them especially to someone who does a lot of computer work; you wouldn't want to have to turn your computer on just to charge batteries.
Wonderful...and good for the Earth [Posted on 2008-07-16]
I got 2 packs for Christmas from my Earth friendly sister. Didn't think too much about them until I ran out of batteries for my remote control one night. No AA's anywhere and then I remembered these batteries. They take awhile to charge but they work just like regular AA's. I love them. I have had no problem with the life of batteries and it feels good knowing that all I have to do is charge them and poof! they will be ready to go again. No more battery juice in landfills...yeah! Great product.
Nice, but slow charging [Posted on 2008-07-17]
It's nice to be able to use any USB to charge, but takes forever to charge them up. Also can't get in AAA size due to size limitation of USB.
they tried [Posted on 2008-09-30]
I give it 3 stars for effort. All in all the recharging cycle is hard to tell if it has reached completion. This is because many computers will effectively 'shut off' the USB port if they do not get a response from it. Almost every time I attempt to recharge the battery light comes on for a few minutes then shuts off.
The batteries upon test are not fully charged. The computerS that I have tried this on just do not like a no-response on the USB port.
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