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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 01/31/2006
The small (2.6 by 1.6 by 0.75 inches, 1.5 ounces), silver Cellboost looks just like a Zippo lighter, except for the translucent blue cover that sits on the top; several other colors are available for purchase. Pop off the cover and you'll find a power plug for your phone; our review model was designed for Motorola handsets, but you can buy versions that work with LG, Samsung, Nokia, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, and Sanyo cell phones.
Powering your handset with the Cellboost couldn't be easier: Just plug the device's adapter into your phone's AC input. You can leave your phone off and wait a few minutes for your handset to charge, or you can power up your phone and start dialing right away. We found that the Cellboost was light enough to hang securely from our phone's AC input without falling out, even with a good shaking. The Cellboost specs claim that the device packs enough juice for 60 minutes of talk time or 60 hours of standby time. Once its charge is depleted, however, you can't recharge the Cellboost; instead, you'll have to toss it in the trash and pony up for another one. That's not such a bad deal, considering the Cellboost costs a very reasonable $10; however, we wish there was a battery gauge to let us know how much juice was left.
In our tests, the Cellboost performed admirably. We clicked the device into our dead-as-a-doornail Motorola V600, waited a couple of minutes, and hit the power button. The phone lit up immediately, and we dialed and connected to a buddy with no problems. We tested the Cellboost by keeping it attached to our phone and timing the length of our call; after 90 minutes (a good 30 minutes more than the charger's rated battery life), we were still talking.
