Even though I have chargers for my Treo at home, work, and even in my car, I have still experienced the occasional dead battery. This is why I always carry a spare for my Treo. To charge my spare battery I use the Seidio InnoCharger.

Design

The eye-pleasing InnoCharger resembles a computer mouse in both shape and size, and requires very little desktop real estate. The non-slip pads on the bottom of the charger insure that it will stay in place. The USB cable is sufficiently long to connect the charger to a computer under a desk while remaining on top of the desk. The battery compartment is deep enough that the battery is flush with the top of the charger, creating a very clean look. The InnoCharger holds the battery tightly to insure proper connection and a constant charge. The InnoCharger also has a charging indicator that glows green indicating no battery is inserted and that the battery is fully charged. The indicator remains red during the charging process. The charger is also very light and easy to transport.

To the right of the charging indicator is a stylus holder which holds the stylus vertically. While I could not concoct a valid reason to include a stylus holder on a spare battery charger, the holder does create symmetry on the face of the charger.

Function

The first thing I noticed about the InnoCharger is that it only ships with a USB cable. This means that the only way to use the charger out of the box is by connecting it to a USB port. While Seidio does offer an AC adapter, this must be purchased separately.

Because USB ports provide significantly less power output than AC receptacles, charging via this method is extremely slow. In my tests I used a Dell Optiplex desktop computer to charge a standard Treo battery. In all of my tests it took the InnoCharger in excess of 5 hours to charge the standard Treo battery and more than 7 hours to charge my 3.6V high capacity Treo battery. With the additional AC adapter ($9.95) the InnoCharger charged my standard battery in about 3 hours and my high capacity battery in less than 4 hours.

Conclusion

Available in both silver and blue, the Seidio InnoCharger is a sleek and well designed spare battery charger. While the charger took an excessive amount of time to charge a spare battery, this is probably a USB power output issue, rather than a problem with the charger. Because I tend to charge my batteries at night, I didn’t mind the lengthy charge time, but if you need a faster method I strongly suggest purchasing the Seidio USB-to-AC Adapter for just $9.95. I really appreciate the small form factor and simple design of this charger, and strongly recommend it to anyone in need of a spare battery charger.

Related Links

Buy the Seidio InnoCharger and an Extended Life Battery

View Seidio’s complete line of Treo products

Filed under: Accessory reviews