TYLT has introduced a new line of smartphone accessories at the 2012 Consume Electronics Show, including battery packs, car charger cables, and modular designer smartphone cases.
TYLT’s products all share a distinctive angular design. Its new Band car charger cable is flat silicon with a unique flat, coiled style. Its line of smartphone cases feature a boxy motif, a built-in lens cover for the camera, and often incorporate kickstands to make multimedia viewing easier.
Also notable are its line of new smartphone battery chargers (the Energi, Energi 2, Zumo and PowerPack respectively), all compact and rugged rectangular devices with rubberized cases and integrated cords. The Energy can provide nearly a full charge to smartphones and rapidly charge most tablets, while the Zumo provides up to four hours’ talk time via a 30-pin Apple connector or Micro USB cord to most smartphones and the PowerPack can provide nearly two full charges to most smartphones and charge two mobile devices simultaneously. All the battery chargers turn on and off automatically when plugged in.
TYLT is a branded subdivision of cellphone manufacturer Technocel.
Trauben’s Impressions
Most mobile devices rely on a rounded, smooth aesthetic, causing no amount of squabbling over who really owns the brilliant design of rounded edges. TYLT has evidently decided to evade the whole scuffle by almost defiantly selecting an angular, square look. It’s both an interesting aesthetic counterpoint and a clever branding tactic. Their accessories are rugged, tough-looking, and much more textured than a stereotypical smartphone aesthetic.
Another notable thing I like about TYLT is its very compact design – all the battery charges rely on integrated cables, which neatly avoids the warren-of-cables issue so common with mobile devices. First impressions only tell you so much, but TYLT’s design aesthetic provides an excellent contrast to the typical Apple styling – they avoid roundness and try to give an accessory texture and high visual contrast, without making them look busy or messy.
McGinley’s Impressions
Thanks to a rubberized outer layer, these devices and cables have a tough feel to them. I felt like there was little I could do to accidentally break one. I took some time to compare the battery packs to one I have personally. Where the TYLT versions come across the clear winner was:
- price: theirs was in the $40-70 range compared to mine at $75;
- performance: their upper level packs can charge two devices while mine has only one;
- and style.
Where I feel they fell a bit short was while my device can charge anything that uses a cord with standard USB, for all but one of theirs you need to get the model matching your device (micro USB or Apple connector).