The PLANonUMC does what it's supposed to - charge your devices and provide emergency power. It's a very convenient unit and should take the hassle away from lugging around all your ac adapters. Then again, you have the hassle of carrying around the included connectors, cable and ac adapter (if you plan on charging the UMC again).
Given the price of the UMC ($69), it is inexcusable to not include a carrying case. Who wants to fumble around with a bunch of connectors, cables, the charger and ac adapter. At this price point, PLANon should also throw in a car adapter. For something being touted as "mobile," it isn't very travel friendly. Throw us a bone here. At least include a zip lock bag or something.
I do see one major flaw in these devices. It's not limited to just PLANon's mobile charger, but basically all universal mobile chargers. What happens if you have more than 1 device that are in need of some life? Well, you will have to choose which one gets the most priority while the others wait in line to be resurrected. It would be nice if manufacturers PLAN on (sorry, I couldn't resist) including multiple jacks for charging more than one device at a time in future products.
In all fairness, the UMC's main duty is to provide emergency power. In that aspect, it delivers as advertised. It was also designed specifically to charge their DocuPen RC800 Portable Scanner. Although there are cheaper options out there, they do not have the capacity the UMC does. If price is not a concern, this would be an ideal accessory for today's mobile warrior.
Pros
- Emergency power on the go
- Multiple adapters for many devices
- Long battery life
Cons
- Expensive
- No carrying case
- Pricey
- No car adapter
- Did I mention it cost too much?
