pwnt.be

Let’s face it. We’ve all got tons of stuff that runs on batteries and we can all get pretty pissed off when those batteries run out—whether that means running to the store or finding the damned charger.

Not anymore. The USBCELL may look like a standard AA battery, but it isn’t. The green top slides right off, revealing a USB plug. Shove it into a USB port and a green LED will turn on, indicating that the battery’s charging. Once that dims, pop the battery into a remote or whatever.

Even without the novelty factor, these batteries seemed like something to have—especially since I don’t own a battery charger. Thus, I logged on to eBay and got four of these things from a random UK seller. They’re about 5 euro a pop, but you’ve got to spend money to make money.

Personally, I’ve been using the batteries with my Wii Remotes, but I’m sure you can think of a million other scenarios. Maybe you travel a lot and don’t want to add a charger to your luggage. Maybe you’re concerned about the environment. Maybe you just like gadgets.

My main conclusion is that they work as advertised, which is a good start. Of course, with the USB plug taking up about a third of the volume, you shouldn’t expect these puppies to last as long as a standard battery; their 1,300 mAh capacity is little over half of what you usually get. After a few intensive Mario Kart Wii sessions, the console started nagging me.

Another thing to note is that, like any rechargeable battery, the USBCELL will run pretty hot while charging. Not that there’s any risk of burning your fingers if you’ve got the batteries sticking out of your notebook.

For me, there’s enough of an advantage in not having to remind myself to buy new batteries and not having a charger lying around. The USBCELL batteries may not beat traditional ones in every single domain, but I’m pleased with them, and I think you could be too.

Update: Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks, the above no longer applies. The USB plug on one of the batteries came off and got stuck in one of my laptop’s USB ports. I was lucky not to damage the machine while removing the piece of metal with a pair of tweezers. Suffice to say I had to dispose of the battery. As far as my Wii remotes go, I’ve decided to get standard rechargeable batteries and a charging dock.