Wireless earbuds have finally come into their own. You can now buy high-end earphones with great sound, excellent battery life, and ANC. You can also find inexpensive earbuds that sound quite good! (IFROGZ has some great offerings!) To keep them charged, IFROGZ has released the Cocoon Earbud Recharging Case. At under $30 it’s an interesting idea for a wireless world.
IFROGZ is now a ZAGG Company, and their new Cocoon comes in your choice of Gray/Navy or Gray/Red. It has an MSRP of $29.99.
Inside the box, you get the Cocoon Earbud Charging Case, a short micro USB charging cable, and a Quick Start Guide.
The Cocoon itself looks like a small plastic container covered in a cloth-like material.
On the top, there is a small rubber band with a tab in the middle. This tab can be used to extend the rubber band and “lock” the top of the accessory closed.
At the front is a small rubber piece that initially looks decorative but is, in fact, part of the mechanism to secure the lid.
On the bottom, there is a small button that, when activated, lets you know if you have 25%, 50%, 75% or a full charge remaining. (With a full charge the Cocoon can recharge many wireless earbuds up to five times.)
Inside the Cocoon, you will find a small pocket fixed to the inside top of the lid. At the bottom, you will see a USB-A port into which the included USB-A to micro USB cable can be placed. If you don’t pay too much attention you will miss a small, but important, design element. Many wireless earbuds have their micro USB charging port in unusual positions.
The fact that the USB cable its removable means you can fix the micro USB end to the earbuds first and then plug the USB-A into the Cocoon thereby avoiding trying to plug cables into devices with fussing with a small, limited space.
The inside of the Cocoon is large enough that, in most cases, you can stow other small gear inside along with your wireless headphones. And, thanks to the rubber band on the outside, you can secure the lid, so nothing falls out accidentally.
A 580 may battery is built inside the base of the Cocoon. That may sound rather small but a 580 may battery is, according to IFROGZ, large enough to recharge many wireless earbuds up to five times. (Building the battery into the base also helps ensure the Cocoon stays upright when placed down.
IFROGZ describes the Cocoon this way:
Cocoon is the perfect way to charge and store wireless earbuds on the go. It charges wireless earbuds up to 5 times, so you always have a charge when you need one. The portable design fits in the palm of your hand, and has plenty of room inside for earbuds, cables, and anything else you want to keep safe.
The Cocoon is a good idea but I am a bit mixed on it. On the one hand, having a safe place to store wireless earbuds is never a bad thing. And being able to recharge them on the go is nice considering the fact that dead wireless earbuds are useless. Still, the Cocoon is fairly large and takes up a bit of space in my gear bag compared to, for example, the charging bags I’ve used from Plantronics. Plus, if you already carry an external charger in your bag in order to keep your phone topped off, why wouldn’t use it to charge your earbuds too? But on the third hand… for under $30, you can keep your wireless earbuds in the Cocoon whenever you aren’t using them and know they will have a full charge whenever you put them out.
Features:
- Portable, Powerful Earbud Storage: Cocoon is the perfect way to charge and store wireless earbuds on-the-go. It charges wireless earbuds up to 5 times, so you always have a charge when you need one. The portable design fits in the palm of your hand and has plenty of room inside for earbuds, cables, and anything else you want to keep safe.
- Charges Wireless Earbuds 5X: Cocoon can fully charge a pair of wireless earbuds five times. Plus, it’s portable, so you’ll always have a charge at hand, no matter where life takes you. (Based on use with 65mAh battery wireless earbuds.)
- Super Powerful Battery: The 580 mAh battery is so powerful that you can charge your earbuds over and over before even thinking about plugging it in again.
- Compact & Portable: Cocoon’s perfect palm-sized design is small enough to toss into a bag or purse so that you can charge on the go.
- Deep Dish Design: Cocoon is big enough to store items like earbuds and keys. Plus, it has a separate mesh compartment for smaller items like coins.
- Secure Storage: Cocoon’s hardshell design keeps earbuds, cables, and other small items safe and secure. Its quick latch silicone band keeps the Cocoon closed tightly and gives you easy, quick access to your earbuds.
- Charge on-the-go: Charging your earbuds should never slow you down. Cocoon lets you charge your wireless earbuds safely and securely wherever you go.
Here’s a promotional video of the Cocoon in action.
The IFROGZ Cocoon is under $30. You can check it out here.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample of the IFROGZ Cocoon
What I Like: Charges wireless earbuds multiple times; Lid can be secured; Large enough to hold other small items; Included cable fully detaches; Under $30
What Needs Improvement: Larger than a charging “bag” would be; $30 when you likely already carry an external battery