If you own an iPad 2 (or a first generation iPad) chances are you may have considered getting portable power pack so you can indulge longer. I picked up the iPad 2 (never owned a previous gen iPad or any tablet for the matter) a little over a month ago and it’s made such a remarkable difference in my life. So I was recently in Singapore to shop and came across two i.Sound portable power solutions—notably 8,000 mAh and 16,000 mAh models. To cut a long story short, the less -than-knowledgeable sales staff made some bold claims that the 8,000 mAh model “should be able” to accommodate 2.5 times the charging capacity of the iPad 2. Mumbled some cryptic formula about how 8,000 mAh is sufficient as the iPad “requires” 3,500 mAh for a complete charge. This unit measures just 9 x 8 x 2.5 cm so it’s compact footprint is a an attractive consideration.
Manufacturer sales pitch: The i.Sound Portable Power Max is the only back up battery you’ll ever need for your cellphone, tablet, iPod or other USB powered device. With its compact design and enormously powerful 8,000 mAh battery you can talk more, listen to more music and view videos longer. The 8,000 mAh battery is enough to fully charge for example your iPhone 4 up to 5 times, or an iPod Touch up to 9 times! The 5 USB ports allow you to charge and power most USB powered devices, while the LED status indicators let you know how much charge power is remaining and the built-in flashlight will help you connect in the dark. — i.Sound
Measuring just 9 x 8 x 2.5 cm it’s compact footprint is a an attractive consideration.
Enough with the intro, let me get straight to the point—performance. If you’re on my Facebook friends list, you may have already read my review on Facebook when I hooked it up to my wife’s iPad 2 she had used down to 1% so that gave me a perfect candidate to see how far this baby can go. Bottom line is, I quickly discovered that the sale guy’s “3,500 mAh 2.5 times“ formula was flawed. With 8,000 mAh a fully exhausted iPad 2 charges up to 80% in 3 hours. This left me gutted at first but I also realized that in real world use, size doesn’t necessarily matter that much.
With power down to 7% and forgetting to charge the night before, I packed my iPad and headed out to town expecting to work out of the coffee shop for the rest of the rainy morning. And guess what, the i.Sound charger brought power up to 35% before I decided it was time to go, two helpings of my favourite coffee later. In real world use, 8000 mAh packs more than enough juice to get work done. At time of this writing, I am store hunting for a USB charger cable similar to Nokia Charger via USB port CA-100 so I can also charge my Nokia E71 without using an inverter eliminating the need to bring carry another item in the bag.
SHIMWORLD 
Hi, may i know how much u got this for? Is this available in Singapore? 🙂
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Hi Jimmy,
Yes, it’s available in Singapore. I bought mine from South Asia Computer @ Funan IT Mall.
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Purchased for use with a Casio G’z’one Commando. Though device was listed as compatible, it does not seem to charge the Commando. Any recommendations?
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Scott,
You can reach dreamGEAR on Facebook and Twitter to see what they say the problem is about. Good luck.
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I’m considering buying this one, but there is such mixed review on Amazon..
Have you had any problems with it?
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Compared to its bigger brother, the 16,000mAh, this one is a perfect size and weight. The only ‘problem’ I have is the time it takes to get it to full charge when depleted. Which only means it’s good. I no longer use this to power the iPad because I don’t use the iPad that much after I got a Samsung Galaxy S3. 8,000mAh is too much (if there’s such a thing as too much) power for the S3.
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