I have to admit that I am not really a power person.  In fact, I know almost nothing about power.  I don’t know volts from amps from watt hours at all.  In fact, the only thing I do know is that when I turn on my device, I expect it to start…now.  And I expect it to work without interruption.  If I am playing a game, I do not want to worry about my battery being charged a half hour from now when I get a call.  If I am listening to music and enjoying the cover art on my display, I don’t want to have to ruin the mood by thinking about what a drain this will be on my battery.  Which is why I was excited to test out the Proporta Mobile Device Charger — Micro.  I already reviewed the full sized mobile device charger here at JAMM.  This one is about half the size both physically and in power.

The package includes everything you will need to get started right away.  There is:

• the retractable USB cable, with an open end for tips
• an assortment of tips to fit most common devices (including mini USB)
• a mini USB cable
• and a pouch.

The battery itself also ships fully charged, which I thought was a fantastic touch.  No need to wait for this one to charge.  Just plug in your device and go.

OK, let’s take a closer look at the battery itself, which is extremely small.  Above, you can see it with my Sandisk Sansa View and Sprint Mogul.  It is about the same width as the View, albeit a bit shorter.  The body itself is made from a rubberized plastic which is a fantastic, non-slip texture.  I could set it just about anywhere and it would stay in one place.

On the front of the device are two ports.  A mini USB labeled "IN" and a standard USB labeled "OUT".  Since the battery comes powered, we’ll start with how to charge another device. 

All you need to do is plug the retractable USB plug into the OUT port.  Insert the correct tip and plug in your device.  Note that if a tip is not included for your device, any USB cable can be connected to this battery.  So, for example, the View can still be charged by using the USB charging cable which was included with the media player.  Now, just push the button on top of the battery to begin charging your device.

I was a little disappointed, however, to find this battery required a new charge almost as much as my device.  My Mogul battery, for example, is 1500 mAh.  The Proporta battery is 1700 mAh, so all I can expect is one extra charge before I will need to reload the battery.  This is a fine battery for an emergency, when you need a few extra hours before you can make it to a wall outlet.  It will not be a great choice, however, if you are planning to be away from civilization for a few days and need to keep your device charged and ready.  When the battery does run low on power, simply plug the mini USB cable into the IN plug on the battery.  The other end can be plugged into any USB port for easy charging just about anywhere.  You can plug your device into the battery and let it go until it is fully charged, or use this as a spare battery to power your device while you are using it.  Both options worked extremely well, and I was very pleased to be able to use the battery to charge while I used my device.

So, how will you know when the battery needs a charge?  On top of it, there are five blue lights.  At any time, just push the button in front of the lights to show how much charge is remaining.  Each light represents 20%. 

Finally, I was a little bit sticker shocked by the price tag of $44.95.  When I reviewed the full sized battery, which is twice as big (3400 mAh) it was priced at the same $44.95.  Rather than keeping the full sized battery the same price and introducing the micro battery at a more appropriate price, they replaced the full sized battery with this one; increasing the price of the full sized battery to nearly $60.  

Notwithstanding the price, I really liked the convenience which this battery offered.  In an emergency, it will give you exactly what you need to keep using your device until you can make your way to a wall outlet and recharge it.  That being said, 1700 mAh simply seemed woefully inadequate to me.  More and more, I am seeing high powered batteries in a much smaller body.  As such, while 1700 mAh is moderately adequate today, it seems like this one may quickly be rendered too small to be useful.  Until then, however, I am extremely pleased with the extra boost this battery gave my device.  Like I said, I don’t know much about power.  But I do know that when I need my device, I want it working…NOW.  This battery helped ensure that was the case.

Vital Stats:

Name: Proporta Mobile Device Charger — Micro

Manufacturer — Proporta

Price: $44.95

Related posts:

1. Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger, Big Enough to Power all of your devices, Small Enough to Fit in the Palm of Your Hand.
2. Versatile – Proporta USB Mobile Device Charger
3. Proporta Announces the Mobile Device Charger Bundle
4. Proporta introduces new Universal Emergency Charger
5. Review: Proporta Universal Emergency Charger