HyperMac Micro, Mini, and Nano hands-on
By Ross Miller 
posted February 11th 2010 9:41PM
posted February 11th 2010 9:41PM
They're light, they're colorful, and with the exception of the Mini, HyperMac's new kandy-kolored iPhone / iPod batteries are easily pocketable. It's a shame the new style hasn't found its way to the MacBook-charging lineup -- let's hope that's in the cards -- but on the plus side, given it charges any USB-powered device, we can see this coming in pretty handy on an universal level. Like gazing upon rainbow-colored batteries? We've got you covered in the gallery below.
@BigJayDogg3
Yes, I do realize that it only has one USB port, but what I'm asking is if attaching a hub would cause problems.
Original Hypermac is awesome. The problem here is that most people don't carry their portables in a case. With the laptop, most places you use it, you can have the carrying case on the ground with the Hypermac battery in one of the extra pockets. I think a better way to approach this is a battery the size of the device that snap or slides on to the device. The Juice Pack for the iPhone is an excellent example, and with devices like the iPod Nano, making it a little bit bigger isn't a huge deal.
@Agent007 The problem with things like the Juice Pack on the iPhone is it blocks reception. I've had one for several months and have found that in locations with marginal cell signal the Juice Pack actually doesn't add anything of value. With the pack on the iPhone uses more power trying to get a signal. The end result being the Juice Pack adds nothing to battery life. I took mine off my iPhone and stuck it in a drawer.
@psychoace
matching colors make it look purdy. black/white = snooze fest.
To be honest, these look a bit cheap, which is not a characteristic you would want in a big hunk of battery. And it's not like there aren't hundreds of generic models out there that function the same but without fruity colors or Engadget endorsement.
@BigJayDogg3
The ports on the devices seem to all be 5V/1A, so as long as your devices do not draw more than that you should be fine. The USB spec is supposed to provide 500mA of current, so you'll likely be able to charge two devices safely.
Also, the hub should be designed to provide enough power to each port.
Did you know Portapow in the UK have been selling something almost identical to the hypermac micro for some time already? And it's £20 vs $90...
It's 200mAh less and only has usb-in, no dc-in but I got one before christmas and tbh I can't say a bad word about it!
Also no kandy kolour options.
funny...nobody carries around a spare battery. but they would gladly buy something bulkier just for some extra juice? when will crApple just give just us swappable batteries already!
@dark star Swappable batteries = 1 phone battery, 1 PMP battery, 1 GPS battery, 1 Kindle battery, 1 DS battery, 1 PSP battery, etc.
Much more efficient to carry a USB charger, cables, and extra AAs
hows this compare to the energizer XP18000?
Can i buy one of these, and, say, charge my droid on long distance travel?
@Kamil R If it can charge over USB the answer is yes.
Hope you don't want one of the pretty colored units - 4 to 6 week delivery.
Hmmmmm they are pretty large for what they are. I prefer the Just Mobile Gum Plus battery. It's smaller than the HyperMac Micro and has 4400mAh vs 3600mAh.
Why is it that anything for the mac is so outrageously priced. Those things are as much as a good Netbook. I would never buy one. Can you imagine tugging one those around.
@Toshiba The battery packs start at 70$,and go up to 120$, while expensive, is still cheaper than any retail netbook. Also, they can juice up anything that can charge over USB- not just Apple devices.
Personally, I use a Tekkeon AA powered USB charger - approx 20$ from Amazon, and have been able to charge: iPhone, iPod Touch, Kindle 2, PSP, DS, Garmin GPS.
@THJ I WENT TO THE SITE AND THE PRICES WERE A LOT HIGHER THERE, THEN WHAT YOU CLAIM.
@Toshiba Looking at the three items mentioned in the post, the Hypermac nano, micro, and mini, the prices for these three pieces of hardware are $70, $90, and $120 respectively. The much bigger batteries designed for multiple devices/laptops start at $200, maybe those were the ones you saw on the site.
@arthurbarnhouse I was looking at the Hypermac for the Macbook. Still expensive. I am not an Apple fan anyways. Cant stand Apple. I think they are the biggest rip off. They give the customer so LITTLE for SO MUCH and their customers believe anything and everything they say. I wonder if steve jobs said "I have a bridge I want to sell you, its in San Francisco and You can Pay me $500 per foot. How many followers would actually try to buy it
Should be pretty handy when my iphone runs out of juice..
Why bother with these? Just get the Samyo Eneloop 5000 mAh from Costco for $20. Has 2 USB ports and can be wall charged or via USB port.
The fact that we need these types of things should speak volumes about the iPod/iPhones/iTouch batteries....
@Plazmic Flame
Says more about how much time some people spend on those devices some of the time.
Would you really be willing to double the weight of those devices for the sake of extended battery for the times when you need more than 10 hours without access to a charge?
I did buy a HyperMac battery for my MBP (which can charge USB devices too) but I only take it when travelling.
@(Unverified) I also see shadows, cables, and a table so it should have 'Shadow,' 'Cable,' and 'Table' tags as well.
Fighting the good fight!