Review: Just Mobile Gum Max external battery for iPad, iPhone, iPod
January 25, 2012 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
by Bill Palmer
It was eventuality that Just Mobile would super-size its Gum lineup of portable USB batteries, and it’s arrived: the Gum Max is about twice as large as the Gum Pro or Gum Plus, and offers about twice as much recharging power. At three by four by one inches, it’s noticeably larger than the rest of the lineup. But it still fits into your pants pocket (if you’re not wearing skinny jeans) and therefore still fits our definition of a portable product.
Gum Max will seem quite familiar to those already familiar with the product family: on one end is a USB port for connecting the device to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod for the sake of recharging your device’s battery. On the other end is a micro USB port for recharging the Max itself once its battery has been used up. Cables are included for both purposes, along with a carrying pouch. Eight charging lights offer precise information on how much power is left, as opposed to the usual four or five lights found on other similar devices. The included power is enough to recharge an iPad a few times or an iPhone several times (the 10,400 mAh offered by the Gum Max is about five to seven times what most custom-fit iPhone battery cases offer).
This product was one of our Best of Show winners at CES 2012, and having now tested it more thoroughly on our own turf, it still holds up. Gum Max represents the sweet spot in terms of making a battery brick as powerful as possible while still remaining reasonably portable. Its $119 official price point works for us, and its current $99 price on Amazon sounds even better. The only complaint here would be that it feels like the Gum Max should come with a USB wall charging brick so that recharging it via your computer’s USB port isn’t the only option. Then again, the charging brick which came with your iPhone or iPad can be used to charge the Gum Max as well.
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 • Price: $119 ($99 on Amazon) • Just Mobile
iProng Magazine issue #57: Katharine McPhee and more
January 4, 2010 by Bill Palmer · Leave a Comment
Live streaming video has officially come to the iPhone, and we take a hands on look at the Qik Live app – along with reviews of Outside, Coolibah, and Momento. And on the hardware front, we review three new iPhone and iPod batteries including a cradle and a pair of charging bricks that double as portable batteries.
And because one can never have enough good music on hand, we also talk with the lead singer of hot new band Hockey, indie sensation Noush Skaugen gives us a sneak peek at her upcoming album (you’ll hear much more from her later), M.J. Rhythm introduces himself, and we present a classic interview with Richard Patrick of Filter.
Keep an eye on iProng.com all this week, as we’ll be posting live from CES 2010 in Las Vegas, bringing you all the top new iPhone and iPod related products and more. And yes, the Flaming Lips will be in the house for our January 12th issue.
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