Pushing the Envelope with the Thinium Charge and Recharge Ultra Thin Chargers

CES is all about innovation, new technology, new concepts, ideas and connecting. Finding those little guys that are taking a small idea and making a reality is one of the my personal favorite aspects of the whole show. I mean, seriously, a $150,000 flexible TV is cool, but not something most of us will see in our living rooms anytime soon. While cruising around one of the press events we ran into Peter Greenburg, the CEO of Thinium. His excitement for his product is one thing that pulled us in. These guys do their demonstrations hundreds of times over and over for days on end, so still being excited to share it is pretty special.

“At Thinium, our goal is to create a new class of versatile, ultra-thin, portable charging products that consumers can keep with them all the time to guarantee they’ll never again be caught without power for the devices they need; and to ensure that whenever you recharge, you’ll do it with style.”

That sums it up pretty well really. Packing around a USB cord and a wall plug are pretty annoying. Thinium is taking the idea of a small, credit card sized device, tossing a plug on it, incorporating a charging tip and makes its collapsable. I am sure that explanation doesn’t do you all a whole lot of good though. So here is a video of it. Before you watch though, know that they do have an Android micro USB version that makes an appearance towards the end.

Obviously it won’t be helpful if your devices charging port is located in an odd place, like HTC and Sony devices. All you Samsung owners out there though should be able to gain a good amount of use from having one tucked into your wallet. As you saw in the video, there is a USB cable that is hardwired in so you can connect it to your laptop as well.

The other product Thinium introduced is the Thinium ReCharge. A very similar device to the Charge, but with a very distinct difference. THe ReCharge offers a 2100 mAh battery bank packed inside. You can still plug it into the wall and charge your device directly, but if you are out and about and there isn’t a wall outlet available you can charge off the battery bank instead.

The ReCharge puts out a 2.1a charge for quick charging your devices on the go. It also offers the USB plug, but also has a micro USB cord on the other side.

Both products look really sleek in their design and certainly offer something a bit different from one another. The Thinium Charge is scheduled for release this quarter for $39.99 to $49.99, iPhone 5 lightning version being the more expensive one. The Thinium ReCharge will follow a little later, but we don’t have pricing estimates for that one yet.  For more information and to sign up for when either become available head over to Thinium.com.

Hands-On: iFrogz Tadpole, Smallest BT Speaker you just have to Have

It should come as no surprise that I am a bit of Bluetooth speaker nut. David likes to make fun of me because of it. Seriously, how many Bluetooth speakers does one need? A lot in my case. I am always on the lookout for a few primary things for our readers. The biggest and best sound possible at a price that fits its capabilities. There are however, those Bluetooth speakers that don’t pump out the deep heavy bass and cover an entire house that are still worth looking at. Size and sound do still do matter and every once in a while there is something that just fits the bill and didn’t get all crazy technical or out of the average consumers price range. The iFrogz Tadpole is that one little speaker that everyone should just have, just because it is cool. A small little backstory though. iFrogz is brand name from ZAGG. You all now ZAGG, the guys that bring you those amazing screen protectors for your devices. Well, iFrogz is their little spin off side that is loaded full of fun, colorful and interesting accessory products for a multitude of devices. It was rather smart of them to keep them separate rather than attempt to introduce something different under the popular ZAGG branding when we all associate ZAGG to protection.

So what is this Tadpole that I speak of? Like I said, it isn’t anything earth shattering, but if you like music and are on the go a lot, it is hard not to want to have one around. It is a simple and extremely small Bluetooth speaker that packs 1 watt of sound into something about the size of your average keyless entry remote for your car. The official dimensions are 2.69″ x 0.43″ x 1.38″ and weighing it at a measly 0.7 ounces.

You don’t need to worry about a battery either. iFrogz packed a small 200 mAh lithium-polymer battery inside with a micro USB charging port to power it up when needed. Play time with a battery that size is estimated at 3 hours. iFrogz was sure to make them even more fun by offering 5 color options.

I gave it a charge and took it for a walk today with my son so we could have some tunes to stroll with in the spring time sun. The Tadpole is simple to connect, just long hold the button on the side to turn it on and put it into pairing mode. You know it is doing its thing when a very loud tone is emitted from the device. Then you are off to the races. I had it connected to the strap on the EnerPlex Packr that I took which placed the Tadpole up by my shoulder. I had to keep the volume below half because I couldn’t hear my son talking to me while we walked.

Sound wise? Don’t expect a party in your pants. You won’t see it bouncing with the bass off your shoulder strap. It will put out some sound though. Comparing it to the speaker on my Xperia Z, I would say it pushes out about 2.5 to 3 times as much audio and I don’t have to have my phone out to listen. For a die hard audiophile, you will probably want to skip this and look to a higher price tag speaker. You would be loosing out on the ultra portablility of this little guy though.

Final thoughts: If you just need something to offer a little more sound that is easily affordable and very versatile, then you might want to consider an iFrogz Tadpole. Coming in at just $19.99, when it is fully available, makes it worth your wild. You can learn more about the Tadpole at iFrogz.com and even sign up to be alerted when it is available.