5 Responses to “ splash Intense 5400mAh External Battery Pack for iPhone 4 4G, iPhone 3G 3GS, iPod Touch ”

1. Stephen Gould on July 21st, 2010 1:44 pm

   Recently upgraded to HTC EVO 4G and I don’t need to get into how horrible the battery life of that phone is. Shopped around for a battery solution. I did not want to settle for aftermarket batteries or the high-capacity ones that make the phone bulkier (EVO is a handful as it is). Decided to give the Intense a try, and what a neat little device this is. Quick thoughts:

   PROS:
   
   1. Good charge time – My EVO battery was almost depleted when I started charging it with the Intese. It took approximately 2 hours to charge up fully with this device. Not bad since most portable batteries take significantly longer than a home charger to charge. This device takes only slightly longer.
   
   2. Loaded with juice – After charging the EVO, this device still shows all LED lights, which means it can probably charge the phone a good 3-4 times at least. Very convenient when on the road.
   
   3. Charge multiple devices – This is a subtle, but important feature. The device has 2 USB hubs which allow you to charge 2 devices at the same time. It also comes with connectors for various phones. My wife has a DROID, so we cna both charge our phones at the same time. This really makes wall charges redundant, which is good given that every single phone today comes with a different charger.
   
   4. Form-factor – This device is sleek, only slightly thicker than the EVO. Looks great, and has an nice smooth rubberized finish, giving it a classy look.

   CONS:
   
   1. The device does not include an AC charger, only the connecting cables for several devices. I use my USB wall charger to charge this device, but you would think that at this price, they would include the AC charger.

   This has to be one of my favorite purchases on Amazon recently. I definitely recommend this product to all those with a large touchscreen phone looking for a battery solution (aren’t we all).
   Rating: 5 / 5

2. I. Avrunin on July 21st, 2010 2:01 pm

   I pretty much have to agree with what the previous reviewer said. It is a nice little package and has all the adapters with it that I need. I have the EVO and my wife has an older LG phone, both are included. The fact that the interface to the device is a USB port means that I can use the existing cords from the phones so I can actually use both at the same time. I did notice an interesting phenomenon that when charging my EVO I did not have to turn the device on to achieve charging but with a Blackberry the Intense needed to be on to charge the device.

   Have just gotten it but would recommend highly. Oh I do agree too that it would be convenient to have a small AC adapter that the charging cable can plug into, even though I had an old one to use.
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. gmanvbva on July 21st, 2010 2:39 pm

   I now have a HTC EVO and my wife has a Palm Pre. I previously had a Palm Pre as well. The battery life on the Pre (with a stock battery) is actually much worse than the EVO (at least 2-3 hours less in a normal day). However, that is not really saying much for either phone. I ran across this device in a review and was intrigued by the high mAh and the fact that it had two USB charging ports. This allows my wife and I to both charge our phones (if needed).

   For background, I have used Tekkeon MP1550, MP1800 and Duracell/Energizer Charging devices.
   
   The MP1550 is handy because you can find AA batteries just about anywhere or carry a few with you (eneloops are great in this). With those devices I get about 1.5 full charges out of them and they are about the same form factor as this device (different shapes and a couple are a little smaller but similar).

   For the splash intense:

   PROS:
   
   1. Two USB ports – This will charge multiple devices and both charge ports are USB. This allows you to use cables other than those provided and any unusual cables. You are not stuck with having to purchase a tip for everything you need to charge.
   
   2. Excellent charging capacity and good charge time. Based on my testing the ports charge at the normal USB rate (.5A) so this will likely charge a little slower than the charger that came with your device (especially if it is a new smartphone; iPhone, Droid, HC EVO, etc). I was however was very pleasantly surprised to find that it can charge devices with high output demand (> .5A) simultaneously with no negative impact on the charge rate. I was able to fully charge both the EVO and Palm Pre in just over 2 hours (both from less than 10%). I was able to get just over 4 full charges from this device.
   
   3. Size – the device is smaller than I expected. It’s slightly smaller than the EVO and about the same size as the MP1550 (but much more stylish imo) I mentioned earlier.

   CONS: (VERY minor and more of a wishlist/tip list)
   
   1. I would agree with the AC charger comment others have mentioned but it is only a slight issue. The charge port is mini-usb (most common) and the device includes two retractable cables (with tips).
   
   2. I initially charged the device with my HTC EVO charger (rated at 1A). This seemed to throw the device off, not charge it properly and it drained very quickly. I then drained it and charged it using a USB port (takes longer at .5A) but it seemed to help with this issue and increase the capacity. I would recommend when charging this for the first time that you use something that charges at ~.5A (standard USB). The device has worked flawlessly since then and I have since charged the device with both my car charger (rated at 1A ) and my Pre AC chargers (rated at 1A) without any noticeable negative impact. I haven’t tested the EVO charger again to see if that was the cause or if it was just related to the initial charge. I will update the review if I have a chance to test it again.

   One other tip is to make sure you turn the Intense ON when you are attempting to charge something. This sounds very obvious but I mention it because if I plug the EVO into my Intense to charge and the Intense is OFF, the EVO will still indicate it is charging (although it does not charge). It apparently senses the connection but no charge is actually being applied. I noticed this because I had the Intense in my pocket and could not see the lights (if it was on or not) and assumed it was charging because my EVO indicated such. I noticed after 10 min or so that I was still losing battery life. I took the Intense out of my pocket and noticed it was OFF. After turning the Intense ON, the EVO began to charge normally. You can see how you might miss this if you have the Intense in a pocket, purse, backpack, etc…

   To provide a real world example for it usefulness…
   
   We took my kids and nieces/nephews to a large amusement park and I brought this device to ensure that my phone would last the entire day. I wore cargo style swimming shorts (no I did not swim with it in there!) and put the Intense in the large cargo pocket and the EVO in my normal pocket (both on my right side). I used the EVO to take check my email, look things up on the internet, check the weather (there was rain in the area), etc. AND also take pictures (the EVO has an 8MP camera). The camera however is a HUGE battery drain. I used the EVO as described until it ran down to less than 20% and then plugged it in to the Intense. The retractable cord was just long enough to allow me to pull the EVO out of my pocket, take some pictures and just slide it back in my pocket (all while it was still charging). I used it like this for a few hours (unplugging it here and there as well) until my EVO was completely charged. I then unplugged it and used the EVO normally for another 3-4 hours until we left. On the way home I plugged the EVO in to charge it again (2 hour drive home) and charged it up to 100% during the drive. At the end of this I still had 2 lights left on the Intense and plenty of charge remaining. I took about 60 pictures with the EVO. I was VERY happy with performance of this device!
   
   Rating: 5 / 5

4. Oscar Quincoces on July 21st, 2010 5:07 pm

   After doing lots of research and reading many reviews, I purchased this Splash Battery Pack for use on my HTC EVO. All I have to say is WOW! This little workhorse charges my EVO faster than through my laptop’s USB port. About 2 hours with the phone almost dead. Having 2 USB charging ports is great. I can charge my EVO and iPod Touch at the same time.

   It’s slightly thicker than the EVO, but not too big to bring along anywhere. I can’t wait to bring this along on my next multi-day backpacking trip. I have a 2 AA Sanyo Eneloop USB charger on order. One received, I will update this review and let you know how it handles charging 2 Sanyo Eneloop NiMH 2000 mAh AA batteries via thier USB charger. If it does well, then this is the ultimate solution (aside from solar panels) for a totally versitale and extremely portable power source when you are away from conventional power.
   Rating: 5 / 5

5. Reviewer on July 21st, 2010 7:15 pm

   Just got the product a few days ago. Charged it up… read that it needs to be charged from a USB port so not surprised about this (but agree that an A/C adapter would have been nice). Other than that, I’ve charged up my 3GS 3 times and still have 3 bars on the battery meter. Actually trying to drain it fully once (although I’m not sure if this is necessary). Very satisfied and would recommend for anything requiring USB charging. Many adapters including but not used since I primarily wanted it to charge the iphone and ipod on the go.
   Rating: 5 / 5

Leave a Reply