Looking for a way to extend the run time on that Eee PC or Acer Aspire One that you got for Christmas? If so, then the Tekkeon MP3700 may be just the ticket for your power hungry ultra mobile device.
Weighing in at 15.4 oz, the Tekkeon MP3700 is light enough that it won’t weigh you and your netbook down too much; the combination weighs less than the Lenovo T60 I use.
There is no AC adapter with the device; instead it comes with an assortment of charging tips, and you just attach one on the end of your laptop’s cord and plug it into the battery. I was able to charge the battery from both the Lenovo charger as well as my Eee PC’s charger. I also tried it with a Dell charger, and it worked well.
The battery also had tips for running the Eee PC and the T60. When running the Eee PC strictly on the Tekkeon MP3700 and the internal battery, I got approximately 6-7 hours of use from the Eee PC, which is approximately double the battery life I typically see with the Eee PC. If using this combination off and on all day, then you should easily be able to get through the day strictly on a battery.
I tried running my Lenovo off of the MP3700, but it’s just too power hungry. It only gave me about an hour of extra battery and it could not even use the full battery. I initially thought it was a issue with the tip, but when I detached the battery from the laptop and pressed the button to check the amount of juice I had, it had plenty of power. I think you might want to get the add-on pack, which adds another 15 ounces to the setup and would probably double my Eee PC’s running time yet again. I would love to test this extended pack, but I don’t have one yet.
Pictured above is a MP3450 and the extended pack. The extended pack for the MP3700 looks almost the same, it just has less capacity.
If all this battery pack did was provide extra run time for your laptop, then it would be pretty cool. The smart folks at Tekkeon have added a USB port to the battery allowing you to charge anything that can charge off of USB with the battery as well. I was able to charge my second generation from almost empty to full, and it didn’t even use much of the battery. You could probably listen to music with your iPod for WEEKS!
For Christmas I received a T-mobile G1 for a gift (thanks again, Judie), and I used it extensively on a long treacherous drive down to my parents house. The G1 and my Eee PC combined drained my Tekkeon, and each device had nearly a full charge when we pulled in the driveway about 3 hours late. It was fun chatting and texting the whole way to Tennessee; now I know that Tekkeon is enough. If it were any longer of a trip though, I would have needed the extended battery add-on, as the main MP3700 would not have been enough. For other people, it might have been fine, but then I am a special kind of user and I almost always have a computer on; the G1 counts in this regard.
The Tekkeon MP3700 is available from various retailers.
MSRP: $134.99 and is worth every penny.
What I liked: Not as heavy as I expected. Didn’t add too much bulk to my Eee PC setup. This battery is the perfect partner device for a netbook.
What needs improvement: It won’t really add much running time you your firebreathing desktop replacement laptop. Would be nice if it could though as these devices usually have miserable battery life.
It is the perfect companion for my Wibrain B1H – it has close to the same dimensions.
I ordered 3450 version just before Christmas and I hope I'll be getting it this week. It should be excellent for keeping my HTC Advantage and Diamond charged up. I'm just not sure about my JVC video camera – it has a really strange charging tip…