Seidio 2-in-1 iPAQ Charger

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

October 18, 2002

Product Requirements:
Device:
Compaq iPAQ 3800/3900 series PDA
 

There are days when I feel like the Joker was talking about us (instead of Batman) when he said, "Where does [The Gadgeteer] get those wonderful toys?" I mean, it seems like hardly a week will go by when Julie and I don't find a product that we never knew existed, but that looks like one that we could really use! Whether it be a new software title, an accessory of some kind, or a new piece of hardware, we keep finding new products that make us wonder how we ever got along without them.

Take, for instance, the Seidio 2-in-1 charger for the Compaq iPAQ. This is a product so simple, yet so brilliant, that I am surprised this was the first time I had ever seen one like it before.

You know how when you are using a particular PDA and you aren't always in your office where you can keep it in a charger? If you are like me, then you will most likely wind up buying a travel charger for the car and an extra power cord for the wall, so that you never have to worry about your battery dying while you are out and about. Well, right there you have just added two cords to your gear bag.

The Seidio manages to put both an AC and DC charger into one handy combo...

When you are in the car, you can just swing out the car charger portion of the charger. It ratchets into various positions, allowing you to pick the best angle for plugging it into your power supply.

When you are in the hotel, you can swing out the wall potion of the charger.

Pretty nifty, huh?

The Seidio's coiled cord compacts into itself to make an easy to pack bundle (say that part five times fast!); but when you need it to, it can stretch out to over five feet. The guts of the charger are housed in a box that measures roughly 3' long x 2" wide x 1" thick, not counting the cord.

While you won't be able to perform an active-sync with this cord, it is after-all a charger only, I think that being able to charge your PDA while on the run is definitely worth the price of this accessory.

Now I just need to get one for every other PDA I use on a regular basis, since there are so many different ones available!

Price: $29.95
Also available for the following models: Audiovox Maestro/Casio E125/E200/BE300, IPAQ 3100/3600/3700, Sharp Zaurus SL-5500d, Toshiba e310/e550/e570, Handspring Visor Prism/Pro/Platinum, Handspring Treo 90/180/270, HP Jornada 520/540/560, IPAQ 3800/3900, Palm V/Vx/WorkPad, Palm M130/M500/M505/M515/i705 Samsung I300, Sony CLIÉ S300/N600/N700/T415/T615/NR70/NR70V, T Mobile Pocket PC Phone

Pros:
Compact charging for both AC & DC outlets
Inexpensive

Cons:
None