Tech Essentials
The Tech Whisperer brings you the best new tools for your business
by Scott Valentine
REVIEW: The PowerStick
At one time or another, my 3G iPhone, Samsung flip or Palm Treo (TW has a gadget addiction) has died in the middle of an important call. Fearful of tarnishing my already suspect professional image, I hit www.powerstick.com to review a portable power unit that looks like a thumb drive and comes with a set of adapters the manufacturer claims makes it compatible with a range of devices.
Plug the Powerstick into any USB slot and it charges in about an hour. Then, attach an adapter to the Powerstick and plug in your mobile/camera/whatever. In theory, you’re good to go. In practice, none of the cheaply manufactured adapters worked with my basic Samsung and it turns out a special (read: extra cost) adapter is required for the 3G iPhone. I did wrestle the Treo adapter in, whereupon my Palm promptly shut off. This power-up, power-down cycle kept happening until I charged the phone’s battery slightly, then reconnected the Powerstick – rather defeating the purpose.
The Treo 650 website lists its standby time at 336 hours; the Powerstick did the job for less than 50 hours. When I turned the Treo on, the – ahem – “Power”stick died in less than an hour. For $70, the Powerstick should be better made, more powerful and work with more devices.
VERDICT: A nice Valentine’s Day gift for your ex
REVIEW: the Pogo Stylus
The Pogo Stylus from Ten One Design is a big upgrade in terms of price and convenience. The Pogo is a skinny crayon-sized plastic stylus with a soft tip that keeps the screen on your iPhone or iPod Touch smear-free. The Pogo comes with a nifty travel clip that holds the stylus snugly while adding almost no weight or bulk.
After a few minutes toying with the Pogo, its benefits were clear. I got more precise control on my iPhone’s keyboard, including a better view of the keys I was tapping and a nice kinetic sensation while typing, and the touch-screen on my precious iPhone stayed clean and pretty instead of looking like a toddler’s plastic sippy cup. At $20, they’re not giving them away. But when you consider that the only way to fix a damaged touch-screen is to replace the whole unit, the Pogo Stylus is a good deal.
VERDICT: It’s worth it. If those Apple ads have taught us anything about tech, it’s that iMage is everything
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