BahrainLad

I've got a possible trip in WT+/NCW coming up and, seeing as this is the first time I'm travelling with my Powerbook and actually want to use it on board, any pointers to what I need? From the looks of it, the Apple AC adaptor seems decidedly proprietary.

Dave_C

Try one of these.

Markonen

It's the EmPower one you need for BA.

JonNYC

The G4air on that page is only $28 U.S. However the cord is very short on that one. All the madsonline adaptors I've ever bought come with a cigarette->empower adaptor included, I'll bet they still do. If not get one of these:
http://www.magellans.com/store/Elect...iesEA270?Args=
But the G4air is the most economical solution.

Jet'Dillo

The problem with the cheaper ones is that they won't charge your battery for you. So if you get on board with it drained, you won't be able to charge it up,
which could be important if you need to be able to use it as soon as you get
out of your seat.

It was more expensive, but I dropped the $$$ on the Apple Auto/Air adapter(Made by Lind) and have been quite happy. It comes with both an Empower plug and a cigarette lighter adapter which themselves plug into a
small brick so you can charge your batteries while you have it plugged in.

Lind currently has this for $79.99 on their website www.lindelectronics.com

themicah

The Lind adapter (above) and the equivalent from Kensington (http://www.kensington.com/html/2089.html) both look good. I've been trying to decide between them myself.

Both devices support both Empower adapters like on BA and other airlines and cigarette lighter adapters like on AA and in most cars.

I'm not sure if the Kensington can actually charge the battery, though, like Jet'Dillo says the Lind does. You might try searching through the TravelTech forum and see what you find there (and maybe report back what you find for selfish people like me?).

themicah

There's also this other Kensington model:

http://www.kensington.com/html/3722.html

It works with a variety of laptops including Apple, and adds an AC adapter to the feature set of the other Kensington. That means you only carry this one power adapter, instead of one for the plane and one for the hotel room when you get there. Probably worth the extra US$30 if you travel frequently with your computer.

JonNYC

Which is probably really just this:
http://www.igo.com/Product_Detail.as...=MOB+PS0075-10
(but for more $$)

themicah

Not exaclty. The iGo adapter you suggest is very similar to the Lind and the first Kensington I posted (the $80 one). All three are Air/Car adapters that cost about $80 retail and work with both cigarette lighters and Empower adapters.

The second Kensington device I posted is an Air/Car/AC adapter, which in addition to adapting to Empower and cigarette lighters, also replaces your regular AC adapter for plugging into the wall. That means you only need one adapter for all power sources, instead of lugging both an Air/Car adapater AND your regular AC adapter.

Hope that helps.

All these adapters are available in the US for less than their retail prices, btw. Try pricegrabber.com and shopping.com. I have no idea what prices are like outside the US.

themicah

Apologies for cluttering the thread, but I thought a summary of the options might help.

There are essentially three categories:

1. For about $30 retail, you get a cord that is Empower-only. This will power your Mac so you can use it without draining the battery, but will not charge our battery and could even damage your battery if you don't remove it. They're cheap and very light, though. Available from kensington and madsonline, and maybe others.
2. For about $80 retail, you can get a Car/Air adapter that will plug into both Empower and cigarette lighters (like in cars and on AA). These include a "brick" that converts the electricity so it's less likely to harm your battery, and may even charge it. Available from iGo, Lind, kensington, targus, and probably others.
3. For about $120 retail, you can get an Air/Car/AC adapter that does everything the $80 adapters does, plus replaces your regular AC adapter so you only have to carry one power adapter on your trips. Available from targus and kensington at least. iGo and others probably have them, too, but I haven't checked.

themicah

Ok, last post of the night, I promise.

The iGo Juice 70 fits into category 3 above (the $120 category). See http://www.igo.com/Product_Detail.as...play=Technical

It's on eBay for $43 buy-it-now + shipping ($10 in US, and it says they'll ship worldwide):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...700362032&rd=1

I have no affiliation with them, but am going to pick one of these up for my iBook, since at $53 it seems like a great deal, and the iGo brand seems to have a good buzz around FT. I guess I'll report back in a few weeks after I get it and try it out on my next long-haul.

MAN Pax

I needed an adaptor in a hurry for a short notice long haul, and ended up with the Kensington. It does look very much like the Juice, so I suspect they share the same heritage. However - it does exactly as it says on the box and has worked very well with both a G4 iBook & and Toshiba Portege on empower seats and 110/240V.

The iBook is primarily my wife's laptop for homeworking, though it travels on family holidays as a DVD player and on the fly video/photo editing suite.

The Portege is my corporate laptop, and despite being a Mac fan with an iMac in my home office, I have to admit it's an excellent light, stripped down laptop to travel light with.

JonNYC

Yup, you're right-- the 70 is the model I have and it looks the same (actually a bit nicer, asthetically,) as the Kensington you reference.

I like the igo 70 but it is quite heavy-- I sometimes hesitate to bring it along, even though it does so much. For my Sony Vaio (I'm 100% Mac except for this machine which is much better for airplane use) I usually just carry the air-adaptor-- the one I have is super-light and small, a mere fraction of the igo juice70.
http://jandrew-elec.com/acatalog/Onl...r_Lead_97.html It is the lightest/smallest I've seen-- but it is "air only" as it were. Comes w/ both empower and cigarette plug and a variety of voltage "chips" and tips.

BahrainLad

Thanks everyone, really good advice as always!

firstclasslad

Which tip (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12 or 15 ) is needed for BA? Thanks