Charger Reviews

Yes, it does charge in an hour or so, but...it doesn't fully charge the battery, even after leaving it in there for hours. I found this out after being unsatisfy with the life I was getting from my batteries. I decided to put the batteries in my "slow" charger one day and found that I was getting much longer life via my "slow" charger. What I do now is let this charger do most of the work then when it says it is done, I put the batteries in my slow charger to get a full charge. Also, you are better off buying some other rechargeable batteries than the ones that come with this unit. These are about as low rated (600mAh) as you can get. I get around 3 hours of playing time with these batteries in my mp3 player. My 800mAh Sony batteries last about 50% longer.

Charges batteries in about one hour and beeps each time a battery is fully charged. Batteries comes in 2 carrying cases which is useful to keep batteries apart and to store the discharged batteries until you get home. The only complain would be that the charger is not a Minolta brand as described but a Quest Charger made by Harding Energy Inc. It works fine but was expecting a different brand.

I bought this charger because it has 4 individual charging cells (each with its own LED) and trickle charge which are important for maximizing the batteries' effectiveness in items like digital cameras and PDA's. Plus, it's got an adaptor for the car. I was also considering the Rayovac 1 hr charger but have read reports about the batteries getting too hot after charging. So I went w/this Q2 charger and so far, I've been very satisfied w/this product.

Just get a power inverter (~35-45$) and use the included battery charger. Then you can also use the inverter to power a laptop or a drill or something useful.

On the surface, this charger appears to be nicely made and convenient for auto use, just a bit pricey. Unfortunately and do to design, the charing unit does not securely hold the battery inplace. I've found that the battery slips out too easly, and can and does get ejected out of the charger if you hit a firm bump on the road. It's something you will want to keep an eye one. Got to where I needed the camera today, and again I found the battery on the floor of my truck.

I picked up this car charger when I purchased my Canon PowerShot S500. At first I didn't think it would get much use and that I'd been pressured by the sales guy into purchasing it. But the charger has proven itself very useful and perfect for road trips.

It is super easy to use, you just plug it in to your cigarette lighter and away it goes. The lights work just like on the regular charger, so when the light turns green, you know you are good to go.

As for quality, this car charger isn't of any lesser quality than the regular plug into the wall one that comes with the camera. It is just as durable and it is definitely worth the price if you are on the road with any frequency. It is a little on the larger side, so it may not fit nicely in your glovebox.

All in all, this is a gem!

These radios sound great - they are clear and crisp and the battery life is great. I also like the way the lock feature works and the fact that you can select high/low power at the touch of a button.

However, I bought a set of two of these, and at one point or another, both of them have refused to turn off. Turn the knob to the off position, it clicks to off, but the radio stays on. One of them works pretty well, only exhibiting this behavior occasionally, but the other one never turns off. Put the batteries in, it's on until they die (luckily that's a long time with these radios).

Secondly, they don't handle cold weather well at all.
Try this: Take one snowboarding, but leave it turned off. After about an hour or two of boarding you'll feel a vibration in your pocket. Yes, the thing has turned itself on, kicked itself into vibrate mode and started vibrating. But there's no display on the LCD! It still thinks it's turned off.

So Cobra, if you are listening, getting the thing to turn off shouldn't be a big technical challenge for you - engineers have been very successfully designing devices that turn off going all the way back to the invention of the light bulb.

See other relevant reviews under the item "Cobra GMRS Two-Way Radio Pair (PR 950-2 DX)." (Unlike the pair, this product has NiMH batteries and a charger.) I agree with those reviews, which basically say that these radios have great sound quality and range. Just a few more points for people who are trying to decide whether to buy one:

SIZE: About the same size as the competitors. Without the antenna and belt clip, it's 11 cm high, 6.5 cm wide, and 2.5 cm thick. (That's about 4-1/2 inches x 2-1/2" x 1".) The antenna adds another 6.5 cm (2-1/2") to the height on one side, and the convenient off/on/volume knob 1 cm (1/2") to the other. One unit weighs about 180 grams (6 ounces) with the batteries.

SCANNING: The PR950 has 22 channels: 7 FRS (Family Radio Service, channels 8-14), 8 GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service, channels 15-22), and 7 FRS/GMRS (channels 1-7). It has CTCSS (Continuous Tone Controlled Squelch System) with 38 codes per channel. Unfortunately, it can scan only the main channels, the codes within one channel, or the up-to-ten codes in its memory. For example, let's say that someone is transmitting on channel 6, code 17; your scan would be able to find that channel 6 is active, but then you have to do a second scan to determine that code 17 is the one being used. I find simultaneous channel-and-code scanning easier to use. Also, it takes five presses of the "mode" button to start scanning; I would have preferred a separate button.

BATTERY LIFE: In the manual, is given as 24 hours in a "1:1:18 ratio" (I think that means that it is tested when transmitting 5%, receiving 5%, and doing neither 90% of the time). That's a pretty long battery life compared with the competition. The selectable high/low (2 or 0.5 watt) power output on GMRS channels helps save the batteries.

OTHER NOTES: The LCD display has a lot of information, such as signal strength meter, whether power saver is on, etc. A button on the side toggles the backlight and also toggles the monitor-a-single-channel feature (called "Maximum Range Extender"). The wrist strap attaches to the bottom of the PR 950. There are speaker and microphone jacks at the top and a charger jack on the side; all three jacks have rubber covers. The 10 outgoing call tones are useful; when people call you, you can choose to be alerted by call tone, by vibration, or both. The voice activation (VOX) mode with five sensitivity settings worked fine for hands-free transmissions. The end-of-transmission tones or "roger beep" can be turned on or off. You can turn off the keystroke tones and can lock the Channel, Mode, and Enter buttons.

CONCLUSION: Buy this excellent 2-way radio at Amazon.com!

You must buy this product if you have Targus Wireless mouse. Without cradle batteries have to be changed about every month or two. When I bought this cradle I thought that I will charge my mouse using USB. This is not true. Cradle should be actually plugged both in the outlet and into USB. As a result, I have now much more wires around my computer that I would have if I have bought just usual mouse. If you have a mouse, buy a cradle. If you are looking for a mouse do not buy wireless.

This docking cradle is such a useful addition to the Targus laser mini-mouse that it surprises me that Targus doesn't sell both units in a combined package, especially as the mouse itself doesn't have an on-off switch and will not "go-to-sleep" unless it remains connected to your computer during and after shutting down operations, a glaring oversight on the part of the designers, when the unit is used with notebooks, especially in portable mode, which requires removing one or both batteries to turn the unit off for transport.
Not only does the dock provide a base for the mouse when not in use, as well as keeping the included Ni-Cad batteries charged, but it actually seems to act as an extention antenna for the receiver, extending the range of the mouse to it's advertized 36" range. Without the dock, I have never seemed to be able to achieve the claimed operational range.
This accessory is such a useful addition, I bought two for use with my mouse, one for home and another for work!

Worked fine for me for first 9 months, then broke down. Had similar experience with Nokia headset - not built to last.

Theres really no reason to purchase this rapid charger,its only slightly smaller than the one that comes with the phone, and it only charges slightly faster, the only reason i bought it was because i lost my previous charger, save your money buy something else

Comes in two parts: the wire and the base that has the plug. It takes 30 seconds or less to attach the two pieces and you're ready to charge. My Nokia 8260 fully charged in a little over two hours. I keep the one I got with my Nokia 8260 at home and this second one stays at the office. You won't be disappointed.

No you can not use this charger to charge Non Ni type Batteries. See Duracell site for more Info.

I purchased this charger along with a few AA NI-MH batteries for my digital camera.

While I've never timed how long it takes to recharge the batteries, I usually plug it in overnight and does a pretty good job.

Even though I don't own any NiCd batteries, the charger is able to recharge those also, as well as 9V rechargables.

My only complaint is that I'm often "closing" the bottom terminals to keep a tight grip on the batteries. They've never fallen off while recharging, but when you insert them, you get the feeling that they may fall off.

Works well. Get a good charge every time. To answer the question about alkalines. On a very rare occasion, you will find a product that requires 1.5V. For these products, the rechargeables won't work, but for 95+% of electronics, the rechargeables work as good or better.

I have read a lot of people having trouble with the ptt button on this radio. My friend had the the button break on his, and I had the same thing happen to mine. I would suggest they redesign this part. They want over $25 to repair this defect. I wouldn't buy any of their products.

My experience....one of first two I was shipped was defective, apparent badly designed/cheap switch....replacement one also defective....in my opinion, it's junk, don't buy it; what's the point of 7-miles if it keeps breaking?

You can get the same radios from Audiovox for $27.50

I recently ordered a pair of the Midland G30's. The review of these radios said that were STURDIDLY CONSTRUCTED and water resistant. This is a gross exageration. In fact the outer plastic shell looks like it would crack if you thumped it. There is not one sign of waterproofing. I have not actually tried the radios out to see what kind of range they have, I have been to disgusted with there overall CHEAPNESS in appearance. I think I will just send them back.

I own x4 FRS Audiovox radios and plan to upgrade to the Midland GMRS G-30. I've read all the current reviews and noticed that some people do not understand FRS/GMRS. FRS radios max legal output power is 500mw. GMRS max legal is 2watt and maybe more on future models. The G-30 was designed to also communicate with FRS cousins. Do not expect 2watt power when communicating with FRS it's not gonna happen. Only the GMRS frequency band will allow the 2watt power output. Two GMRS radios set at GMRS frequencies required for 2watt power output. 5 mile range is more than likely in an open plane with no obstacles in sight. When I purchase the G-30's i'll do another rating. (...) I rated a 3star because I don't own one yet and my knowledge and reading the reviews was helpful.

Overall, I think this is a pretty good product. I have gotten over a 5 mile range over an unobstructed distance (mountain top to a cabin over 5 miles away). The charging time is very fast too. The included NiMh (no memory rechargeable) batteries are great.

The only problem I have had with the radios is that the Preferred Channel Scan (PS=on) renders the radios unreliable. This function is intended to allow you to set the radios on one channel and have them monitor (and receive) another channel in the background. If you turn this feature on, the radios will not consistently communicate. They will work about 60% of the time. Sometimes the green LED on the receiving radio blinks when the transmitting radio is trying to talk, but no sound comes out. The problem is that the person trying to talk has no idea they are not being heard! The manual says this (the blinking green LED) is because the CTCSS (sub channel) is wrong, but it is not actually the problem. I am working with Midland tech support to get it fixed, but they have been pretty slow with their response.

My main point is this: I think this radio is a good value and works quite well. The range is very good outdoors and the charger and NiMh battery combination is very convenient. Don't use the Preferred Channel Scan, though. You won't be happy if you enable this feature. Hopefully they will fix this feature so it works properly.

Now that I know about the problem, I am having good results with these radios.

I'd have to agree with other reviewers that these batteries HAVE MEMORY and last nowhere near as long as Black and Decker would like you to believe. I have probably 20 of these batteries and always charge them correctly, rotate them, keep them in matched sets, and they just die after a couple of years. In many cases, it's cheaper to buy VersaPak tools (with batteries) and throw away the tools. Luckily, the tools don't last either ;) You really have to view the VersaPak line as disposables.

Batteries seem smart, but they don't last long when new (except in the flashlight) and they gradually just die off completely (and are not cheap to replace). Be forewarned.

I am in housekeeping at a camp and we have the VersaPac for our ScumBuster. It is so convenient and fast to change out because, we are very business and don't have time to spend on trying to change out batteries. With the twin charger we always have a battery ready to go. Thank you Black & Decker for making our day.

I bought this thinking it'd be the panacea to the brevity of the iPod's battery life. It is. When it works.

Pros:
•More time to listen to music.

Cons:
•Bulky. Power connector should be integrated, and the device should somehow fit around the iPod. While I have not had any bad experiences with suction cups holding expensive equipment, they are simply illogical considering that you are entrusting them with a $3-500 piece of equipment full of your life's work and all of your music.

Here's the kicker, and I realize that I'm not the only one who has had this problem:

I thought it was just a fluke when my battery pack's springs melted and I smelled burning plastic. Fortunately I haven't seriously burned myself, but cbBut it happened three times. Belkin phone support was no help, e-mail support didn't even address the issue, they just said "call us for help", and Belkin refused to replace the product.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been helpful(I recently filed a complaint/report), but Belkin is still quiet. Oh well. The Voice Recorder for the iPod is also pretty bad. Stay away unless you enjoy getting burns and wasting batteries.

Lets face it: The IPOD battery just doesn't measure up. It is supposed to last for up to 8 hours of music, but hasn't survived past two hours before it dies. Thats why this Belkin external battery pack is so attractive. It's been on my wishlist for months, and when I finally got it, I was disappointed. Although it has increased my battery life over 6 hours more, it still is not as streamlined as the IPOD itself. It just adds some "dead weight" to it. This being said, it is NOT very portable. This Backup battery pack is great if you are stuck with long delays at an airport somewhere. However, if you are planning to use this on your morning jogs around the block, skip it.

Overall, this Battery Backup is a helpful addition to the IPOD, but it's size and weight really are limiting factors.

I really like this device for my travels. I often run out of juice on the ipod (only 8 hours won't work for a 12+ hour travel day) itself and since I'm just sitting in the cramped plane seat anyway, the extra weight isn't an issue. I don't recommend it if you want to run with it or use it for walking around since it doesn't really attach all that well to the ipod...espcially if you use a case with the ipod. Even if you use your ipod naked (how could you!?!), it doesn't really attach all that well either. But remember, Belkin designed it so really, it's not apple's fault they have idiots in the belkin design dept.
Overall, the utility is great for long travel times and design sucks
Adds considerable weight to ipod - if you run with it, your shorts may be dragging on the ground as a result of the battery pack
The batteries seem to last longer if stored in the off position when not in use

Why are most of these reviews not even about the damn battery pack?!? If you want to attack the ipod itself, go post it on the ipod product review page