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Do you have more money than sense? If you do, then the new mPower Emergency Illuminator will likely be your flashlight of choice. What does $289 get you — other than an LED flashlight that vaguely resembles the SS Enterprise?
The mPower Emergency Illuminator™ is a personal illumination tool that offers Power On Command™. In addition to primary standard lithium batteries, the illuminator also features a groundbreaking reserve lithium battery with a shelf life of at least 20 years. Upon activation, via the simple twist of a knob, the reserve battery will provide power to light a high intensity LED lamp for approximately two hours of continuous use. The illuminator is also able to charge electronic devices – including cellular phones – through an accessory USB connection.
I know that I am being a tad bit facetious here, but to wait 20 years to activate a battery and then only get two hours of continuous use from it seems like a bit of a letdown, doesn’t it? I guess if you were stuck in a cave with this flashlight and the main battery died, two hours from the reserve might be enough to get you out. Right? … Right?
The mPower Emergency Illuminator™
Technical Highlights:
Featuring design by Porsche Design Studio, the mPower Emergency Illuminator is equipped with two widely available CR123 3 volt lithium batteries. A second compartment houses the mPower On Command™ Reserve Battery, developed by mPhase Technologies, Inc., a leader in the field of nanotechnology as applied to reserve power sources.
The mPhase 3 volt lithium reserve battery employs a custom-designed internal barrier and triggering mechanism to prevent liquid electrolyte from interacting with the solid electrodes until the battery is manually activated.
Available in two finishes – Titanium Satin and Black Chrome – the illuminator incorporates a state-of-the-art high-intensity LED light source and a custom-designed optical lens assembly to provide optimum lighting for emergency applications.
The design features a conveniently located USB plug adaptor (Type A) so that many brands of cell telephones can be recharged, allowing for the completion of an emergency call. A simple twist of the lens bezel will switch the illuminator between lamp and USB mode. A color-coded OFF/LED/USB indicator light will glow green in LED lamp mode, blue in USB mode.
Specifications:
LED: Cree XR-E Q5 USB: Standard size (5 V, 500 mA)
Primary Battery: 2x CR 123 (3 V, 3 Amp-hr)
Reserve Battery: 1x mPower on Command. 3 V, 1.5 Amp-hr
Size: L 5.51” x W 1.92” x H 1.46” (L 140 mm x W 49 mm x H 37 mm)
Weight: 9.7 oz, including batteries (275 grams, including batteries)
Awards:
mPower Technologies has been named an International CES Innovations 2010 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree for the development of the mPower Emergency Illuminator
Availability: March 2010, available exclusively online at mpowertech
Retail price: $289.00
