Ever wanted to charge your laptop or phone battery or run any other low wattage device from your car or boat battery? Now you can.
With the APC Travel Power, a DC/AC inverter, you can run virtually any portable device on the road using an AC adapter.
Just plug the Travel Power into the cigarette lighter of a car to recharge your laptop battery directly from the cars battery.
You can even plug the Travel Power into one of the power outlets built into the seats of newer airplanes.
The American Power Conversion Corporation has squeezed this 75-watt DC/AC inverter into a 3in by 4.5in by 1.5in box that is small enough to slip into a glove compartment and still leave room for all the other clutter.
The way it works is simple. DC power is inverted to AC power and sent through the AC adapter to a mains power socket.
The one we tested was fitted with a European/US two pin socket but a UK version is now available.
If you are worried that youll drain your car battery, relax.
When your battery drops below 11.2 volts, the Travel Power turns on a small warning light telling you to disconnect your machine and when the voltage drops below 10.8, it automatically shuts off.
In short, the Travel Power does precisely what it promises. It works straight from the package without any complicated set up.
This neat, well-made little box could signal the end of flat laptop batteries for mobile workers and could add a certain reassurance to people who rely on mobile phones to stay in touch.
Not cheap but extremely good value.
Price: £89.99
Contact: 0208 990 6400 or www.apc.com/gb
Rating: 9 out of 10
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