Duracell PowerSource Mobile 100 Review

The $149 Duracell PowerSource Mobile 100 is an excellent standalone charger to bring on your next business trip. Like similar products on the market, this device has an integrated lithium ion battery pack, so you can juice your gear without being near an outlet. This accessory won't leave you worrying about buying or keeping track of different tips for various gadgets just to use it. Instead, the PowerSource Mobile 100 has two USB ports, as well as a three-prong AC outlet of its own. That means you can use it for charging notebooks, your cell phone, or any other gadget that you would normally plug into a wall, at the same time.

Design

The 5.4 x 3.1 x 1.5-inch PowerSource Mobile 100 has a piano black plastic exterior with a Power button, indicator light, and air vents on top; a small internal fan starts up when the device is in use and is fairly quiet. On the rear of the unit is a plug for charging, and on the front are the two aforementioned USB ports as well as the three-prong plug. The PowerSource Mobile 100 weighs 1.1 pounds, which is lighter than such chargers such as the Powertraveller PowerGorilla, and is barely noticeable inside a notebook bag or in your luggage.

Speaking of luggage, the PowerSource Mobile 100 is ideal for traveling. On a trip to Barcelona, we needed only a single European adapter, for charging the device; we could then charge our other gadgets without having to search for multiple outlets. The charger doubles as an inverter; using the included DC cable with vehicle and airplane connector, users can power their notebooks or other gadgets while driving or flying.

Performance

The PowerSource Mobile 100 outputs 80 watts of continuous power, which is enough to charge most notebooks. To see if it will work with your notebook, check the rating printed on your notebook's power brick. The PowerSource Mobile 100 took 1 hour and 47 minutes to charge fully; when finished the indicator light on the top changes color from amber to green, and the device emits a small beep.

We were able to juice ourNokia N85phone completely four times before the charger's battery died. Using a LenovoThinkPad X301(which draws 65 watts), we were able to get 1 hour and 13 minutes of life, about 45 minutes below what Duracell advertises. The larger and more expensive PowerGorilla charger, by comparison, offered 2 hours of juice while powering a Gateway T-Series notebook, which also draws 65 W of power.

The PowerSource Mobile 100 has a few protection features, including automatic overheat shutdown, low-battery voltage shutdown, overload shutdown, and an electronic ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) for preventing electrocution.

Verdict

If you have multiple gadgets and want to be able to power them while on the go, the Duracell PowerSource Mobile 100 is a convenient accessory. Also, we loved that we didn't have to worry about losing tips or fumbling with the right adapters and cords to fit our gear. While it only offered about two-thirds the capacity of thePowerGorilla, the PowerSource Mobile 100 costs substantially less and is easier to use.