HooToo TripMate Elite: The Swiss Army Knife of High-Tech Travel

The HooToo TripMate Elite looks like a wall charger but oh, it is so much more.  It is a dual USB wall charger, 6,000mAh external battery charger, personal cloud, travel router and Wi-Fi HotSpot, all in a compact case that can fit into the palm of your hand.  It seems like the only thing it can’t do is brew your coffee (but, I guess technically it could if you had a smart coffee maker and an app…well, you get the point.)

The TripMate Elite is the latest offering from HooToo, which has been designing small electronics and accessories catering to the smartphone and tablet market since 2008.  The Elite is the latest in the TripMate line of travel routers from HooToo and is priced at $59.99. Similar to the original TripMate, it still has the travel router, personal cloud and portable battery functionality, but adds the convenience of a dual USB charger.

For the business traveler, the TripMate Elite is a must, and if you are taking a trip for pleasure, it’s probably a necessity too.  While the TripMate Elite is plugged into a wall socket and charging its battery pack, you can also connect a smartphone and tablet to the device at the same time.  The battery holds 2-3 full charges for smartphones, and extends run time for tablets by 4-8 hours.

If you are constantly managing space on your devices, you will love the personal cloud feature.  To use the cloud feature, you plug a flash drive into the TripMate Elite’s USB port and hold the power button down for three seconds.  The TripMate Elite will start broadcasting so you can watch movies or browse photos without taking up space on your device.  You can also back up photos, videos and send files from the USB drive to your smartphone or tablet (or vice-versa) by using the free app called HooToo TripMate.  Once the app is installed on your device, you sign onto the Personal Cloud network.

While most people will probably love the TripMate Elite for its fast charging ability (it can fully charge a smartphone in about an hour), the more tech-savvy folk will take advantage of its wireless functions.  You can not only turn a hardwired connection into a wireless connection, but also extend a wireless connection in bridge mode (boosting a weak signal).

The amount of uses you get out of the TripMate Elite for under 60 bucks is a great deal in my book, especially when you consider how much it would cost to buy an individual accessory for each function. If you are struggling to find a good gift for the business travel or that techy friend, the TripMate Elite is a fantastic addition to anyone’s briefcase or handbag.