Rechargeable Batteries With A Twist

January 23, 2007

I love it when I come across gadgets that are both cool and save me money. That is exactly what you get with the USBCell AA rechargeable batteries. What makes these rechargeable batteries unique is that they can be recharged using any USB port such as your computer.

While I do have a set of standard NiMH rechargeable batteries, I purchased these USB rechargeable batteries for a specific reason: when I travel. Although they don’t have an extraordinary charge life, they solve a major issue I have when I travel.

I like to consider myself green and I like to save money, but carrying around a battery recharger when I travel is basically a pain. This is especially true when there are so many other gadgets that I have to take. Thus I usually opted for the space saving option of regular alkaline batteries when it came to trips instead of lugging around the rechargeable batteries and their charging unit.

These USB rechargeable batteries solve that problem. Since the recharger is any USB port and since I’m always around computers or other electronics even when I travel, I have a charger available all the time without carrying any extra bulk or weight around. It is an extremely convenient combination that has allowed me to be greener when I travel, save money and carry around less bulk (it’s great when it all falls together like that).

These were originally developed in the United Kingdom and aren’t currently available at any major retailers in the US. They are, however, available through Amazon. You can find out more about them at USBCell.com

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Information: January 23rd, 2007; 5 Responses

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Categories: Environment; Saving Money; Technology

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Reader Comments

Comment Number:: 1
Written by:: Jack
Posted on:: January 23, 2007 at 10:09 am

I was pumped about trying these too, but they got an iffy review from The Gadgeteer. I still may get them, but their low mAH rating worries me.

Comment Number:: 2
Written by:: Amber
Posted on:: January 23, 2007 at 1:09 pm

They are aslo available at Think Geek although it looks like for the same price. I saw them there first and they looked interesting but I don’t have anything that’s currently operational and uses AA’s.

Comment Number:: 3
Written by:: Steven
Posted on:: January 23, 2007 at 4:21 pm

Those seem dangerous. What is wrong with the dollar store batteries. You can get 8 of them for $1!

Comment Number:: 4
Written by:: pfadvice
Posted on:: January 23, 2007 at 5:29 pm

I was pumped about trying these too, but they got an iffy review from The Gadgeteer. I still may get them, but their low mAH rating worries me.

As mention in the post, they don’t have the greatest life span. I use them mainly in my digital camera when traveling - for daytime use with no flash they have never caused a problem. I usually don’t take many night photos, but it could be a concern if you use your flash often.

Comment Number:: 5
Written by:: Frugalist » Blog Archive » How to: Go Green AND Save a Boatload of Money — 57 Tips, Tutorials, and Ideas
Posted on:: April 17, 2007 at 9:07 am

[…] rechargeable batteries), and learn about how to recharge your batteries through a recharger or your USB port and why this practice will save you […]