Reviews

iGo Week: Juice Notebook Power Adapter

October 7, 2005

When you’re talking about mobile power solutions, what you’re really saying is that you need some juice— to keep that power-hungry laptop running. Fortunately iGo has a handy solution available with you in the Juice 70. At its most basic, the product is a replacement for the power brick that came with your laptop computer. It just happens to be a little cooler looking, since it has a slick silver exterior. That certainly doesn’t justify the $120 price tag though, since a replacement from Fujitsu for my notebook is only $49.

Juice does a whole lot more than just power your notebook though. If you’re a frequent traveler, then you’ll appreciate the fact that Juice also includes a cigarette lighter adapter, so that you can charge your notebook while you’re driving to the next sales presentation. If you’re a frequent flyer, you’ll be even happier to find that Juice also will work with the power sockets found on most airplanes these days. Just press a special release on the car lighter adapter, and it pulls off of the power cord to reveal the air power adapter. Even better, when you buy a new notebook, Juice will probably work with it as well, since it comes with ten different tips that fit a variety of models from Apple, Compaq, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, HP, IBM, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, and Winbook.

In the box you’ll find the ten tips I just mentioned, along with an AC power cord, the special car/air power cord, and a cord that connects Juice to your notebook. Each cord comes with a Velcro tie that helps to keep the cord contained, and is a good enough length that you shouldn’t find yourself trying to stretch just one more inch in order to reach a power outlet. Juice itself is fairly light and compact; it measures 5.25 inches long, 2 inches wide, and one inch thick. Everything packs nicely into a black nylon travel bag for storage, though I tend to use my Waterfield gear pouch instead.

There’s just one last thing to mention, and if you’re anything like me this feature might be worth the price of admission: Juice is capable of powering both your laptop and another small electronic device at the same time. If you have a handheld, a cell phone, even an iPod or a gaming device like the PSP or Nintendo DS, one product will charge them both at once. If you’re a frequent traveler, that’s a dream come true! All you need is a compatible tip for the device ($10 each) and the optional Dual Power accessory ($25), and you won’t have to lug multiple chargers and/or cables around any more.

I can’t recommend Juice as a straight notebook power adapter, because of the relatively high cost, but this is a great product for road warriors, because it works with a variety of notebook computers and can optionally charge your phone or handheld at the same time. No matter whether you’re at home, the office, on the road, or in a plane, you’ll always have access to the power you need. My only small complaint is that I wish there were better cord management provided, either with a retractable or cord or some sort of “wrap around” guides on the Juice unit itself. Juice 70 is $119.99, or you can get the new Juice 130 for $139.99. Both products are virtually identical, except that the new Juice 130 is a higher output option for some of the recent more power-hungry notebooks, and it also includes the Dual Power accessory. Both of them are available now in the iGo online store.

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