Magellan's ToughCase Accessory For IPhone & IPod Touch

DO NOT BUY - - SERIOUS BATTERY / POWER ISSUES

By Yahoo! Shopping User  Nov 6, 2011

Pros: nifty idea

Cons: very poorly executed

I purchased Magellan Toughcase direct from Magellan in April. The device really has not lived up to my expectations, or Magellan's specifications. The device has very serious battery/power management issues that make the device as good as useless. Th...e problems as follow are:First, after charging the Toughcase overnight (not less than 16-24 hours) in the ON postion with an iPod installed, I will consistently remove the charger to go sailing and find that the iPod is fully charged, but the Toughcase has not charged at all. Blue lights will flash for hours, but as soon as I unplug power supply, right back to red light. The only effective way I have found to charge the Toughcase, is to remove the iPod and charge the case separately. This is in direct contradiction to Magellan's information.Will the Tough case charge my phone? Yes it will.How long does it take to charge my ToughCase? Using an Apple USB Power Adaptor: With ToughCase battery discharged to 25% or less, it will take approximately 3 to 4 hours to charge the ToughCase to 100%. This estimate does not include charging the iPhone or iPod touch that is inserted inside.How do I charge my ToughCase? You can charge it using either your I-Phone Power supply using the provided USB cable or connect it to your PC.Can I charge both the Toughcase and my I-Phone/Touch at the same time? Yes, when connected to external power both will simultaneously charge.The second problem is that when using the Toughcase the voltage regulator function (if Magellan engineers were in fact clever enough to include one) seems to be kaput. At the end of a day of hiking, the iPod will be fully charged, but the Toughcase will be completely drained, which essentially defeats the purpose of carrying it as a GPS. If Magellan had done their design properly, they would not allow the Toughcase to keep an iPod at 98%+ charge while completely draining the Toughcase. An iPod needs what 20% charge to work??I would strongly discourage anybody from using this device as anything other than a cool coffee table coaster. There was really nothing worse than finding out that I had no GPS signal while still several miles from camp, with darkness rapidly approaching. Thank goodness I'd brought my trusty Garmin Map60 along.I have contacted Magellan regarding both of these issues and have requested a refund, replacement, and/or firmware upgrade. No response. But, given how poorly this device has performed, I'm not expecting the company to step up to bat and take responsibility either. Read more Less