Axion ACN-5507 5-Inch Portable TFT LCD TV
The perfect hurricane (and Xbox) companion
It's amazing what you find out when you don't have power for a while. After Hurricane Charley tore through Orlando, we were left without electrical creature comforts for five long days. One of the worst things was not being able to see local TV radar to know what the storm was doing. But hey, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event, right? <br /> <br />Well hello, Frances! <br /> <br />After learning another hurricane was planning to head in our direction a few weeks later, I decided to find a battery-powered television to help us get through the ordeal. The 5507 had the biggest screen I could find, along with all the accessories I wanted with a nice price to match. It was shipped overnight and arrived one day before Frances... talk about cutting it close. <br /> <br />I couldn't have been more pleased with my choice. The image is crisp and clear, and the reception is just what you would expect when you're dealing with airborne signals. Some channels will come in fine, others barely if at all. But when your cable is out, you take what you can get. Battery life is about as advertised, roughly two hours on a set of 8 AAs (and nobody is buying up AAs for emergencies, so they're easy to find). You can go with a smaller TV that uses less, but you won't have much fun straining to see weather maps on a 2.8\\" screen. The 5507's full 5\\" display is perfect for extended viewing. You also get house and car power adapters, for those times when you have power. <br /> <br />Why only four stars? It's a great little set, but not perfect. Why can't someone build a portable TV that dials in channels like a real set? This one uses the tried and true (and very annoying) \\"vertical line searching\\" method. And it doesn't remember any settings (except volume), so you'll be back to starting at the first channel after you turn it off. <br /> <br />Since Frances hit, I've used it as a monitor for Xbox gaming - great for gamenights on the go. And we were back to TV viewing with the arrival of Jeannethis past weekend. After watching it through two hurricanes, I can safely say you won't go wrong picking up this little bugger... it'll be your best friend when you really need it.