Product Listing

First Looks: Iomega SuperHero

By Wong Casandra - 26 Apr 2011
Launch SRP: S$99

First Looks: Iomega SuperHero

Charge and Backup!

The average iPhone user has plenty of dock options to choose from - be it for blasting music or charging the battery. So what makes the Iomega SuperHero charger different? Well, the gadget offers a unique proposition - this nifty device (compatible with the 4th-gen iPod touch, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G with iOS 4.0 or higher) not only charges your device, but backups your data without the need of a computer. Sounds good? We take it for a short spin in our labs before delivering our verdict. 

We'll be using an iPhone 4 running on iOS 4.3.1 to test out Iomega's SuperHero.

Stylish and Simple

The SuperHero charger dock sports a simple rectangular body with a brushed metal texture. On the whole, this industrial-inspired design is relatively stylish and appealing. The device itself is highly portable and light. The bottom is covered with a rubberized non-slip material that keeps the dock firmly in place on most surfaces. All ports/SD slots are kept out of sight at the back, appropriately mimicking Apple's clean, minimalist aesthetic.

The SD slot and power connector are carefully labelled and tucked out of sight.

The dock comes packaged with a complimentary 4GB SD card and a couple of handy plug attachments for the dock's A/C charger. These additions are useful, especially when you travel overseas. Swapping the plug attachments is simple and takes no longer than a minute to do so; the handling experience is further aided by a locking mechanism that keeps the plug attachment securely in place. Nonetheless, we felt that Iomega could have gone one step further and included a soft pouch for the dock.

Easy, Basic Backup

After setting up the device, we installed the SuperHero iPhone app from the iTunes store. This step is necessary for backing up your data; you can still charge the phone without installing the app. We took the charger out for a spin, and noted that it took about 3.5 hours to get our iPhone fully charged. Considering its SuperHero moniker, we were expecting a fair bit of speed, but the end result was more average than super.

The device will immediately backup your data on default once you connect the phone to the dock, but you can easily configure your preferred settings under the Options tab. The app offers very basic backup and restore options for your contacts and images: as a result, it is easy to navigate within the app since there aren't many options to play with. 

 Install the Iomega SuperHero Backup app and you are all set for the final stage. On opening the app, you will get a basic menu with three options - backup, restore and further options.

These images are self-explanatory. The backup is only limited to contacts and photos, so don't expect too much here.

Final Thoughts

For S$99, the Iomega SuperHero offers a basic fix for your backup needs and is restricted to just contacts and photos; you can't back up or restore audio, video files or downloaded apps and phone settings. Given its limitations, we wouldn't say that this device is an essential addition to your collection of iPhone related peripherals, but for its price point, this highly portable gadget is likely useful for the more casual and cautious iPhone users.

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