| | |  | | Home » Moixa MXAA02 USBCell NiMH Rechargeable AA Batteries | | | | | | | Description: | | USBCELL is a revolutionary NiMH rechargeable AA battery with an integrated USB charger - plug into any USB port to recharge. With over 2 billion USB ports available worldwide, USBCELL is the only truly portable rechargeable battery for easy use at home, at work or on the go. Each USBCELL saves 7kg of CO2 and 3kg of toxic battery waste. USBCELL has been accepted into the rechargeable battery market as a NEW alternative to disposable and rechargeable batteries. | | | Features: | |
• Re-charged anywhere from USB ports.
• Portable - no need to find or carry a charger.
• 5 hour charge or usable after fast top-up.
• Re-use - saves money and waste.
• Can also be charged in regular charger.
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Weight:
| 0.1 pounds | | Package Length:
| 5.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 3.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.0 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.12 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 52 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 52 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 60 found the following review helpful:
 Ingenious product - just not very practicalJun 05, 2008
By NLee the Engineer
This product (USBCELL) is based on a great idea - the kind of idea that makes you smack your forehead and exclaim "Why didn't *I* think of that!" Basically you take a '3/4 AA' NiMH cell, and attach an USB-powered charger on top of it. Now you've got a rechargeable AA battery that can be charged from any USB port. So you'll never be caught without a battery charger - as long as there is a computer nearby.
Great idea aside, there are practical limitations for this USBCELL:
- It is very expensive (about 4 times the cost of a typical AA NiMH cell).
- Its capacity is only 1300mAh (compared to 2000-2700mAh for a typical AA NiMH cell).
- Its charging time is relatively long (5 hours to charge to 90%)
The product description claims that you can also recharge the USBCELL in a "standard approved 250 mAh recharger". But make sure that the charger is a 'smart' one. A timer-based 'dumb' charger will badly overcharge the USBCELL, because it treats all cells as having a typical capacity of 2500mAh.
It is true that you don't need to buy a separate charger for the USBCELL. But the economy of scale is stacked against it in any demanding appliances such as digital camera. For the price of just two USBCELL, you can buy a good charger+battery package (such as the Sanyo USB Charger and Sanyo Travel Charger). This way, you get much greater battery capacity and shorter charging time. For anything that requires more than two AA cells, the USBCELL solution becomes even less cost-effective.
It is also true that using USBCELL instead of disposable alkaline cells can reduce your 'carbon footprint' on this planet. But the same can be said for any rechargeable batteries. Compared to a typical AA NiMH cell, the USBCELL requires more energy to produce, and has a shorter lifespan (lower capacity means it has to be recharged more often). Therefore it generates more waste in the end.
Of course, for certain niche applications (such as wireless mouse) the USBCELL is still a good option. At least it looks cool, and makes a great conversation piece.
72 of 75 found the following review helpful:
 Not so greatApr 18, 2008
By Elias Friedman
"Elipongo"
I picked these up after I saw them reviewed on Kool Tools. They worked okay for a while- they obviously have a lower run time then normal batteries because there's less actual battery there, but I figured that was offset by the convenience of being able to charge them off of my laptop computer. However, after only about a month's daily use in my Garmin GPSMap 60CSx, the USB connectors on several of the batteries started to separate and stay stuck in my computer's USB ports when the rest of the battery was removed. I had to pry them out with needle-nose pliers. Given the risk of damaging a computer for a simple battery, I can't recommend this product.
219 of 251 found the following review helpful:
WARNINGMar 08, 2007
By zphage
Wow. They keep knocking my review off, but I think people should know these may not be compatible with HP products with ASUS motherboards.
These pull alot of power through your system, and because of anomaly that HP, ASUS, and Moixa acknowledge exists, you run the risk of burning out your motherboard. I know from experience I have gone through a whole odyssey of repairing my motherboard after one use. Weigh it carefully if the $15-$20 for the batteries is worth a $400-$500 repair.
17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Big on cool, not so much in useFeb 22, 2008
By D. Stein
I don't want to sound too negative here, but these batteries are pretty dismal in their capacity. I originally bought these for use with a Logitech Bluetooth Travel Mouse. Using standard disposable batteries I get around 3 months of use, with these batteries it's around 1 month. I've since changed to using 2700mah rechargeables and keep these in my backpack in case of an emergency.
The other issue I have is the amount of time it takes to charge. It must be in the range of 16 hours or so which seems excessive to me due to the aforementioned low capacity.
The idea behind these batteries is great. I can't say enough about that. However, they seriously need to look into what could be done to increase the charge capacity - even it's only to around 2,000mah.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Solid ProductJan 31, 2008
By Michael Maloney
These batteries work great. Their technical specs are as indicated, which means they last about half as long as a normal AA battery, but I always have an extra set either charging or already charged, so really it's never an issue. These work just as well as any regular battery, or any rechargeable battery, but the convenience of just plugging one into a USB port to charge can't be matched. Awesome product!
See all 52 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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