NEW battery

[nick1257]

http://gear.ign.com/articles/683/683895p1.html

anuary 26, 2006 - Whenever a PSP vs. DS debate begins, the one argument you can always expect to hear against the PSP is battery life. Somewhat unjustifiably, the rumors and speculation about the PSP having a tiny battery that began before launch still seem to be associated with the device. In truth, the PSP's internal 1800 mAh lithium-ion battery does a pretty good job powering such a big screen, but even the biggest PSP fans do have to admit a little more juice could come in handy.

Enter the Tank-1002 battery pack. The Tank unit is a 4400 mAh Lithium-polymer battery pack that attaches securely to the back of the PSP. Contoured appropriately and molded in black plastic, the Tank unit has a relatively minimal impact upon the PSP's overall form factor. It weighs an additional 156 grams, which isn't really enough to make a dramatic difference, and it increases the PSP's thickness by about a half an inch.

The increased thickness has both positive and negatives. Most people find the PSP more comfortable to hold with the Tank-1002 attached, but the downside is that the PSP won't fit in most slip/carrying cases with the Tank included. Fortunately, the Tank-1002 is bundled with a zippered neoprene carrying case that will hold the united PSP and Tank in a warm and caring embrace.

Another cute feature of the Tank-1002 is a kick-stand style foot that pops out of the back side of the unit to prop the PSP up at a comfortable viewing angle. The angle produced is perfect for on-desk applications, and works pretty well on an airplane tray table as well.

Battery performance is the key feature for the Tank-1002, and in our tests it lived up to its claims of expanding the PSP's play time by around 8 hours. That's a pretty significant boost compared to the natural PSP's roughly 2.5-3 hours, and is especially important in terms of UMD playback, which really tends to use up power because the disk is constantly in motion. The unit also has good power-management features. The Tank-1002 completely drains its own battery before switching to the PSP's internal supply, and it makes the transition without any interruption in play. There is also a switch to turn off the Tank, if one was so inclined. The Tank and PSP together charge from empty to full in about 4 hours.


The Tank charges by means of the PSP's AC adaptor, and connects via a plug on the center-top part of the pack. Playing the PSP with the Tank and AC power connected feels different because of the non-traditional location of the AC power plug, but it's not a huge deal. The only major downsides of the Tank-1002 are the fact that it must be removed to change UMDs, and the fact that it also occupies the two mounting holes that most screen-protector shells must use. Removing the Tank is as easy as gently pulling it backwards, so it's not that much of a hassle to change games, but you are pretty much committed to the included carrying case for PSP protection once you go the Tank route.



Overall, the Tank-1002 does its job quite well. For a relatively minimal impact upon the overall PSP form factor, the Tank packs a good amount of extra battery power. An extra 8 hours will get you through some long flights and hardcore road tripping. The MSRP on the device is $59.99, which makes it the value leader among currently available competing products in a battery life to cost ratio analysis. Carry a Tank in your pocket and you can laugh at all those DS kids when they talk to you about the PSP only lasting 2 hours. They're going to go blind from those tiny screens anyway, so bide your time and plan a fitting revenge.



OPEN UP THE REST OF THE PROCESSOR... WE ARE READY!

[bigdrift350]

Looks awesome going to get it cause i hate when my PSP batt dies from playing socom

[the real mr bob]

yes batteries are good

oo .. sounds good .. :P

[fsu1dolfan]

So whats the verdict on this battery...any problems....
I like that it come with a little stand itself!!

I am going to be flying to Japan soon and need a solution to not enough battery life for a 16 hour flight??!!??

I was thinking of just buying a couple of authentic Sony ones becuase of all the problems that i have been reading.....please someone tell me what options are safe for the PSP to extend battery life??????????

[Need]

It seems quite big. I think I will pass on it. By the way, for people in the US, many Kmarts have the Sony OEM 1800mh battery on clearance for $4. Kmarts also got the Sony car adapter for $3. I scored 3 of them yesterday at the Kmart in Diamond Bar, CA.

[lightt]

its too big n' heavy

[st jimmy]

Originally Posted by lightt

its too big n' heavy

It only adds 156 grams onto it....

[pspnegro]

I agree, it's looks too big. I think it detracts from the PSP's sleekness.

[jammer]

Originally Posted by nick1257

http://gear.ign.com/articles/683/683895p1.html

hmm ... this is actually a nice idea, but no-ones mentioned yet that every time you wish to change a disk, your gonna have to remove that brick of a battery ... does it work in tandem with the internal battery? i guess that way you wouldn't end up having to power the PSP down too ...

hmm ...

there is a 4300 one that appears to fit in with the original form factor ...

These folks seem to be claiming these as sony branded and rated upto 4300 ... batteryfactory.co.uk

i'm not sure how others feel but why do some manufacturers deviate from the original design so much ... this external battery unit sucks design wise, its like having a small brick hanging around ... ansmann 'portable' powerpack ... i think someone needs to have a word with them about the 'portable' nature of ergonomics

the same could be said for this one too really ... monstrous thing!! that totally deviates from the design and i think would totally unbalance the psp making controlling games a stack harder.

i think after this wee ramble around the wibbly wobbly web for a while that tank thingy is a lot better designwise that maybe it first appears.

anyone got anything interesting to check out battery wise?