Regular readers might remember the external batteries from Sony that were announced for Japan in September. The portable USB chargers came in a stylish aluminium body and were very slim to easily carry with you. Well it looks like the same batteries (CP-F1L and CP-F2L) are due to launch in Europe imminently.
The CP-F1L has a 3,500mAh battery capacity with an output of 1.5A. This particular USB charger is just 9.4mm thin and weighs 125g. The CP-F2L has a higher battery capacity of 7,000mAh with an output of 2.1A. It comes in a slightly thicker body of 12.9mm and weighs 198g. It features dual USB ports so that you can charge two devices at the same time.
Both seem like great solutions to keep at hand if you do a lot of travelling. They will provide some emergency back-up power for those tablets and smartphones you may be carrying. The portable batteries can be charged up with the supplied AC adaptor or a USB port from a computer. Sony says that both chargers retain up to 80% of its charged capacity after a year, and can be recharged 500 times. Both batteries are due to launch in mid-December i.e. any moment now, but pricing remains a mystery.
