Saw this at our local Mini-stop the other day.

The i-Charj Cellphone Charger has two types of chargers. Charger 1 can charge brands Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, LG USB and Sony PSP.

Charger 2 can also charge brands Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung plus iPod [sic].

Yup. It can do PSPs..

and iPods, with a little Nelly Furtado action to help convince you.

Instructions are as follows:

1. Use 5.00 coin denomination only.
2. Open door slot and attach charger tip to cellphone.
3. Insert P5.00 coin to start charging. If desired, drop more coin to increase charging time.
4. Remove phone when timer reachers '0' digit..

It also adds:

• 10.00 minutes charging is equivalent to 8* hours of cellphone power at standby mode.
• Add more P5.00 coin to increase charging time.

* may vary on cellphone type / brand / model and depending on phone battery age and conditions.

So what do I think?

P5.00 / 10 minute charge are the important values to remember here. That's a fairly decent charge if you're really desperate. And you would be desperate I assume, to consider thinking of using this, as otherwise you'd just wait till you get home.

No you cannot use your gadget while it's charging, so you really have to sit there and wait (and maybe order a Siopao and a Tropicana) till it's ready. Maybe that's part of the appeal why Mini Stop let them in.

Hmm. I think I'll give this a thumbs up. There is a market out there for folks who desperately need to charge their phones, and I'd assume these are the commuter types (if they had cars they'd charge their phones with car chargers), so it looks like a good business idea as well. It's priced right too, at P5.00 a pop, and it looks solidly built, so vandals (and there will be vandals), won't find it too easy to break. Besides, it's indoors, so theoretically staff will keep an eye on it.

But while I acknowledge there's a market, is it a big enough market though? I'll check it out again in 6 months to see if it'll still be there.

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