I’m sure most of us have a few powerstrips in use around our homes. They aren’t the sexiest looking devices and aren’t the easiest to store when not in use. A new Kickstarter project hopes to change that. It’s called the Plugbook and it offers 2 power recepticals with a retractable cable in the convenient shape of a book. The idea is to hide the Plugbook on your book shelf when it’s not being used. I like the idea a lot because I’m always trying to remember where I put my unused powerstrip. Is it in a drawer in my office or out in the garage on a shelf? With the Plugbook I would always know where to find it. The only issues I have with this product is that it only offers 2 outlets. In my opinion that’s not nearly enough to make me want to buy it. Four maybe… If the Plugbook looks good to you, you can pledge $25 to get one after the project is fully funded.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News

Tagged: Power

Plugbook – A Power Strip That Thinks it’s a Book originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 16, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Juicebar DO10-JB

In my ever-present quest for more power for my gadgets, I was excited about the chance to review the solar DO10-JB Pocket Charger from Juicebar when the people at CableOrganizer offered to send one. I have tried other mobile power solutions that haven’t always cut the mustard, so to speak. But the price of this little device is quite attractive, so I was eager to see how it would perform and what kind of quality that price brings.  So I boldly entered the green-power space for the first time, armed with my bevy of gadgets thirsting for juice, to see if the Juicebar was just empty calories or a nutritious treat (how’s that for a metaphor??).  Let’s find out!

(NOTE: click the pictures to see larger versions.)

I was initially surprised at how light the Juicebar charger was. It weights only 4 oz.  The dimensions are 4 inches by 2.5 inches and a half-inch thick.  The built-in non-replaceable rechargeable battery is a 3.7 volt, 2,000mAh Li-ion battery.  The solar panel on the back side is a multi-crystalline solar panel rated at 5.5 volt, 80mAh. The majority of the outside of the Juicebar is stainless steel with black plastic on the top and bottom and thin strips along the sides.  Retail price is listed at $49.99, but I found it online several places for $39.99.

size compared to the Verizon HTC Thunderbolt

On the top of the Juicebar, you will see a standard USB port, which is used to connect the Juicebar to devices to charge them.   You will also find a mini-USB port that is used to connect the Juicebar to a PC or USB charger to charge it when direct sunlight isn’t available. Finally, you will see an LED flashlight on top that is activated by pressing one of the buttons on the front of the Juicebar. The flashlight is supposed to give you 40 hrs of use when the Juicebar is fully charged.  I am puzzled why a flashlight was even included on this device. Am I missing something here?  I mean, ok, I guess it is ok that a flashlight is built-in, but couldn’t they have shaved off some more cost by skipping it? Plus, it is highly possible that the flashlight button gets pressed when it is squeezed into a computer bag, using up the battery power. Maybe I just don’t get it.

On the front of the Juicebar, you will see 2 buttons and an LED indicator bar that shows you how much charge is left in the Juicebar. Press the smaller button to activate the flashlight on the top.  Press the larger button to check the charge level; this is one of the negatives of the Juicebar I think.  Just about every device these days has numerical indicators to tell you how much power is left. To me, the Juicebar would be better if there was a numerical readout that showed me the exact % of power I have left instead of the colored bar, which sort of gradually fades out on the left side of the indicator. So it really is a guessing game as to how much power you have left. The closest you’ll be able to guess is like 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%.

Charging the Juicebar by connecting it to a PC via the mini-USB port took me 2.5 hours. Charging the Juicebar via direct sunlight outside is supposed to take 10-12 hours, according to the included user’s manual, but it only took me a little over 9 hours. But then again, as I mentioned previously, the colored indicator bar could have been fooling me.  It looked fully charged to me at just over nine hours but maybe it was only up to like 85 or 90%. Anyway, the bottom line is that to charge via the sun, you need a full day of direct sunlight. I should also mention that after siting in direct sunlight for several hours, the stainless steel was very hot, so be careful picking it up. That makes me think that perhaps a different outside material would have been smarter.

The Juicebar comes with a carrying bag, a mini-USB charging cable, a small instructional user’s manual, and a USB cable with several adapters to connect to various devices.

various adapters for the USB cable

USB cable with micro-USB adapter on the end

The Juicebar claims to be able to charge many devices using those adapters.  For example, Apple products, portable game players, Bluetooth headsets, GPS units, and popular cellphones from Samsung, Nokia, Apple, HTC, and Blackberry. They even claim you can charge your Kindle, although I wouldn’t expect it to charge most tablets because the Juicebar battery capacity is only 2,000mAh.  If your device won’t fit one of the 4 adapters included in the package, then you can use the charging cable that came with your device as long as it has a USB connection on the end of the cable.  Juicebar also claims that it can hold a full charge for 30 days, and I believe that claim.  I let the Juicebar sit for 2 weeks unused, and it still appeared to have a full charge.

You can even use your device if its battery is dead by simply connecting your device to the Juicebar and setting the Juicebar in direct sunlight.  When my HTC Thunderbolt from Verizon died, I connected it to the Juicebar and let it sit unused.  It took 3 hours to fully charge my phone (1,400 mAh battery) with the Juicebar, and the Juicebar was almost totally depleted afterward.

Conclusion

After using the Juicebar for over a month, I can honestly say that I don’t go anywhere without it.  It is small enough to not take up any space at all in my computer bag, and having access to the extra power is wonderful. I have an extra cellphone battery, but it is much more convenient to connect a dead phone to the Juicebar, and the added benefit is that I can connect just about any device I have to the Juicebar to get that little bit of extra power.  I do wish they made a larger capacity version of the Juicebar because the form factor and the function are great, and I would be willing to pay more for the Juicebar if I could get a higher capacity battery. I do wish the indicator bar on the front was actually a numerical readout, but that is not a deal-breaker for me. Overall, for the price, this is a great product.

Filed in categories: Pocket Gear, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: Power, Solar

Digital Zone Juicebar DO10-JB Pocket Solar Charger Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 25, 2012 at 11:00 am.

The sOccket is a soccer ball that captures and stores energy while being played. It was developed by four students from Harvard, as a project. They tried to connect two observations they had: (1) kids all over the world are playing soccer and (2) many kids in the undeveloped world don’t have electricity at home. They connected the two observations into one product, the sOccket. Jessica Lin, co-creator of the sOccket, explains that it works more or less with the same principal as one of those “shake to charge” flashlights, “where a magnet rolls through a coil creating an electric charge.”After some field testing in South Africa and Kenya, they improved the mechanism to be more robust, and they expect to roll the product in summer/fall 2011.

On one hand, they plan to donate millions of sOcckets to kids in the undeveloped world (through the  Uncharted Play organization, which is ran by the same students), as part of the  ’FUN can be FUNctional’ slogan. On the other hand, the sOccket can be useful for the developed world as well: your cellphone battery died on you, play 15 minutes with the sOccket and then charge the phone. And why only soccer ball, how about basketballs and other accessories. For more details and updates you can check the sOccket blog page.

Filed in categories: News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Power

sOccket: Play Soccer and Generate Electricity at the Same Time originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 8, 2011 at 11:00 am.

You’ve probably heard the term “Vampire Power”? It’s the power that some electronic devices “suck”, when they are plugged in, but not being used. One example of such a device is an AC adapter that charges your gadgets. In addition to being a huge waste of energy, Vampire power is something that you pay for on your electric bill each month. The OnPlug is a simple device that will allow you to switch the power off whenever you like. We’ve reviewed power strips with this type of feature, but the OnPlug goes where a power strip can’t. It’s less obvious and bulky than a large strip and has a base that lights up in Blue when power is being used. A small switch on one end gives you the ability to stop the suckage whenever you like. The OnPlug is available through Amazon for $11.99 each or $29.99 for a pack of 3.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News

Tagged: Power

Save Energy with the OnPlug originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 4, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

Do you have a dusty old power strip under your desk? Isn’t it fun to stand on your head to plug and unplug your various gadget chargers when ever you need some juice? The Coalesse PowerPod is a power strip that you can display on top of your desk, instead of hiding it under your desk. It looks great, works great, but has one big fault. Read on to find out what the fault is.

The PowerPod is a great looking accessory that should blend in well to any office, or room. It’s made of a thick White plastic with a brushed aluminum base.

This “power strip” is comprised of 2 parts. The base has 6 15-amp power outlets and a 6 foot cord. The accessory tray sits on top of the base and provides 3 generously sized storage compartments.

The base has 6 grounded outlets that are arranged in a circle. In the center is a push button on/off switch. When powered on, the Coalesse brand name glows white.

Turn the unit over and you’ll find a non-slip rubber base. There’s also a reset switch for the power outlets.

The storage compartments can hold pens, pencils or anything you like. It works great on a desk and looks spiffier than a coffee cup full of pens (which is what I have been using for years).

When you need to plug in an AC adapter, just remove the accessory tray, plug in the adapter and press the center button to turn on the power.

The design of the Coalesse PowerPod looks nice. It’s contemporary, but can fit into any decor. This product is made very well and works equally well. I have no complaints with the design or performance of the PowerPod as a power strip. The only complaint that I have about the PowerPod is the price…. it’s $150.00, which is crazy expensive for a 6 outlet power strip. You can buy a traditional power strip at Walmart for less than $10. Of course, it won’t be nearly as pretty as the Coalesse PowerPod and won’t have storage for your pens and other items. Is the Coalesse PowerPod a really nice power strip that looks and works well? Yes, it is. Is it worth the $150 price tag? I don’t think so. What do you think?

Update: The Coalesse website shows a price of $150, but I’ve been told that the price will actually be $99. I still feel that’s much too expensive. I would consider $50 to be approaching a fair price…

Filed in categories: Home Tech, Reviews

Tagged: Charge, Power, Storage

Coalesse PowerPod Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 8, 2011 at 11:00 am.

When my kids were younger, I spent vast amounts of money on juice boxes of all kinds, because when a kid is thirsty you gotta have some juice that’s easy to deal with “on the go”.  Trust me, spill a sippy-cup of Apple juice all over your car seats and you’ll be making a bee-line to Wal-Mart for some juice boxes lickety-split!  My kids are almost grown and have long since outgrown juice boxes, but now we need a new kind of juice box… an ‘adult’ juice box, if you will.  Enter… the Technocel Powerpak!  Juice… on the go!

With all the mobile devices/gadgets that I own, I am constantly running out of “juice” and need to power up.  If I am in the car, it isn’t that big a problem because I have mobile chargers for several devices, plus various other charges like the iLuv USB charger and one of those cigarette lighter chargers where you can plug in regular power cords.  But you still have to have the charge cable for the device to use those charges.  And I don’t feel like carrying around all my chargers and cables for all my devices.  So I have wanted to get my hands on a charger of some kind that would solve this problem.  So I jumped at the chance to review the Technocal Powerpak.

The Powerpak comes with a cloth bag to carry everything in, and a special USB cable with the standard USB connector on one end (that plugs into the Powerpak unit) and a mini-din connector on the other end.  It also comes with 10 interchangable tips that allow you to connect the cable coming from the Powerpak unit to various mobile devices.  2 of the adapters are micro-USB variants, 2 more are mini-USB variants, and the other 6 adapters are proprietary.  All told, you can use the Powerpak to charge devices from LG, HTC, Blackberry, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, Kyocera, Sanyo, Palm, Nextel, Casio, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba.  They claim that 95% of mobile devices are covered.

I was looking forward to using the Powerpak to charge the various iPod devices that my family owns, because someone is always running out of juice in the car.  And I was a bit dismayed when I opened the package and didn’t find an adapter for the iPod.  However, I quickly discovered that any power cable with a standard USB connector on the end will plug directly up to the Powerpak unit without the need for any of the adapters.  So you won’t need any of the 10 adapters if you want to charge your iPod or iPhone… simply plug the USB that came with your device into the USB port in the Powerpack unit.

The Powerpak unit is clad in a soft-touch rubbery shell, like many of today’s cellphones.  I was very pleased with this, in addition to the round edges on the unit.  Because of this, it is very easy to hold and carry and it just feels solid.  The power plug on the back of the unit folds in flat to allow for easier storage, and when you plug the Powerpak into the bottom plug of a standard wall outlet, it won’t block the use of the top plug which is nice.  Another neat feature of this product that I was pleased to see is that when you plug one of the 10 adapters into the USB cable, each adapter has threads on the end of it so that you can screw the adapter into the cable for a secure, tight fit.  That way, it won’t accidental come loose.  Cord length is average at just a little over 5 ft.

When the Powerpak is plugged up to the wall it charges its internal battery while still being available to charge your devices.  And if you want, you can begin using your device as soon as it is plugged up to the Powerpak, which is how I am using it mostly as I run out of juice while talking on my cellphone alot.  To determine how much juice is left in the Powerpak you press a button the front and 4 red lights on the front will give you an indication of how much juice is left.  I don’t particularly care for this and wish that instead I had an LCD to show me a % value of how much is left.  But then again, I am sure that would push the cost up.  The interal battery is 1000mA.  Now, that isn’t as much as other chargers, and I have read that Technocel is coming out with a charger that has 2 connections built-in and a bigger battery.  While I would like to have a bigger capacity battery, I think the size of the device and price point ($35-40) will be very acceptable to most people.

One important thing to note about the battery as well… it loses its charge over time if left to sit unused.  I left it sitting with a full charge for 5 days without using it and it lost half of its charge.  I have experienced this type of battery loss with other devices that I have owned, so I can’t ding the Powerpak too bad for that.  But that does seem like a bit too much loss to me.

I was able to charge numerous devices with the Powerpak… an HTC cellphone, a Plantronics Bluetooth headset, an iPod Classic, a Kodak Playsport camera, and an iPod Touch.  When the 1300mA battery in my HTC Droid Incredible was completely dead, the Powerpak charged it back to 70% in 60 minutes.  Not amazingly fast, but not bad in my book.  I also tried charging my iPad with the Powerpak.  The Powerpak would not actually charge the iPad (it said “Not charging” in the upper right corner) but it would allow the iPad to operate without losing any battery life.  So while it won’t charge your iPad, at least you could use your iPad until the Powerpak died.

Overall, I recommend this gadget for most people.  I like the price, I love the features, and the size is just right.  I do wish the cord was longer, I wish it had an LCD readout instead of the red lights, and the loss of charge when unused is a little disappointing.  But I can live with those things for the convenience it provides me.

Filed in categories: Gear, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: Cellular, Device, Power

Technocel Powerpak Review… an adult juice box. originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 5, 2010 at 12:30 pm.

The new ¼ inch thin Jump Start Slim rechargeable 1100mAh Battery from DigiPower weighs in at 2 ounces. The Jump Start Slim features a brushed metal top, a high gloss black back that reminds me of an iPod Touch. It has optimized circuitry that allow for faster charging times from a computer or standard USB charger. It also features an LED charge status display and comes with USB Micro, USB Mini, and DC barrel to USB A female connecting cables. Suggested retail pricing is $29.95.

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: Battery, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

Thin is in – DigiPower Jumpstart 1100mAh External Battery originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 2, 2010 at 10:02 am.

The new power strip from Wet Circuits is water-resistant and shock-proof indoor/outdoor 4-outlet surge protector that has been designed to withstand the elements. You can even stick a tweezer in an outlet and you won’t be electrocuted. It’s currently (pun intended) for $35.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News

Tagged: Power, Spotlight Gadgets

Now you can shower with your power strip! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 30, 2010 at 9:00 am.

The Primo Battery Cube from Phonesuit is a cube shaped rechargeable battery pack for Android and Blackberry SmartPhones. Actually, it should work with any mini or micro USB enabled device. It’s very compact at 1.5 inches in length and width, but provides 1000mAh battery capacity. It also features a 4 point red LED display that shows the remaining charge in 25% increments. It’s available now for $39.95, or grab 3 of them for $99.95.

Filed in categories: Android related, Blackberry related, News

Tagged: Android, Blackberry, Power, Smartphone, Symbian OS Related

Extra juice for your Android and BlackBerry smartphones originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2010 at 8:30 am.

You might remember Andy’s review of the IDAPT a few months ago. They have just updated this multi-charger with an extra USB port, a glossier and finish, and a few new features including compatibility with the iPhone 4 & iPad. The IDAPT i4 is available now in black, white or silver for $59.99 MSRP. The packaging includes 6 of the most popular tips – miniUSB, microUSB, iPod/iPhone, Samsung 4, Nokia 2, and Sony Ericsson 2.  Additional tips can be purchased through www.idaptweb.com.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous

Tagged: charging, Power

IDAPT i4 Multi-Charger Compatible with iPad and iPhone 4 Now Available originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 6, 2010 at 1:30 pm.

Tremont Electric has developed the nPower® PEG (Personal Energy Generator), a small, lightweight device that recharges your hand-held electronics from the kinetic energy you generate while walking, running, or biking.  Slip it in your backpack, briefcase, or purse and go about your daily activities. As you move, your PEG will continuously top-off its internal battery providing you with extra power when you need it, while you’re on the go. And in an emergency, shaking your PEG will give you the ability to call for help.  Durable polycarbonate frame and titanium casing, adaptive control system that automatically adjusts to your activity to capture maximum power, recyclable lithium polymer battery stores energy for up to a year, and USB 2.0 interface and universal iGo tip system let you use the PEG with over 3,000 hand-held devices.  $149.99.

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Power

Charge while you walk with nPower PEG originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 1, 2010 at 10:00 am.

In an effort to continue the fight against vampire power suckers, Belkin’s new Conserve Valet power station gives us an energy efficient way to charge up to four of our electronic devices at a time. The benefit of the Valet is that it shuts itself off once all the connected devices have been charged. This reduces energy consumption by 75% as the station itself draws zero power when not in use. The Valet will be available in July on Belkin’s website for $40.

Filed in categories: Gear, News, Reviews

Tagged: Green, Power

Fight Power Suckage with Belkin’s Conserve Valet originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 28, 2010 at 10:00 pm.

I love Green gadgets, and I’m not just talking about their color. The ECO Button is a small device that connects to your Windows PC (sorry, no Mac support at this time) through the USB port. When you aren’t using your computer, you can press the Eco Button and your computer will go into energy saving mode. When you come back to the computer, pressing any key on the keyboard will instantly wake it back up to where you left off. The included software will also display how much power, money and green house gases you have saved by using this device. The Eco Button is available now for $13.70 from EFO.

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, News

Tagged: Green, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

ECO Button Puts your PC to Sleep for Savings originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 6, 2010 at 9:40 am.

It’s called the Diamond Multimedia DP1800 Mobile Battery and just like the Artwizz Powerbat, it’s basically a portable lithium battery, which is small enough to carry around in your gear bag.  Don’t be fooled by its size though, as it’s able to provide a good level of power to your devices such as iPhone/iPod, Blackberry and HTC (or any other devices which have a Mini-USB connection), whenever and wherever you need it.

Product Specifications

• Capacity: Powerful 1800mAh Li-Polymer Battery Pack
• Power Indication:  A ‘check’ button & LED indicators (3 LEDs, Hi – Mid – Lo) to check charge capacity
• Input (mini USB): DC4.5~6V/480mA
• Output (USB-A Type): DC5V/500mA max.
• Charging Time: 4hours for 480mA charging current
• Battery: Li-Polymer Rechargeable
• Size: L 89 x W 60 x D 9.6mm (3.5 x 2.36 x 0.38 inches)
• Weight: A lightweight 88g (3.5oz)

What’s inside?

The DP1800 arrived in a see through clam-style plastic pack, showing the battery itself, which is about the size of a credit card.

Along with the DP1800 there is also:

• 1 x Retractable USB cable (60cm fully stretched)
• 2 x USB connectors (One for iPhone/iPod and another for Blackberry/HTC)
• 1 x Instruction Manual

DP1800, Retractable USB cable, iPhone/Pod & Blackberry connectors

Charging the DP1800

On the main panel of the battery, you’ll notice that there are three small LED’s (Red – Lo, Yellow – Mid and Green – Hi) which indicates the level of charge currently available from the battery.

You can check the power level of the battery very easily, simply by pressing a small ‘check’ button, located on the side of the case.  If the red LED illuminates then the battery has less than 20% charge in the power bank and requires a charge itself before you can use it to power any of your gear.  If the yellow LED illuminates, this indicates a power level of between 80-20% which is ok and is sufficient to provide power to a device.  And finally, if the green LED illuminates, this indicates a good level of power (80% or more).

Side view of the DP1800 showing 'Check' button & connection

Out of the box, the red LED lit up when I pressed the check button, indicating that I needed to charge the battery itself before I could use it.  Although, Diamond do advise that due to the battery being packaged and left in transit, you ideally need to charge the battery for around 4 hours, either by using the included retractable USB cable, or by using a mini-USB wall charger (Not included!).

For the benefit of the review, I decided to charge the DP1800 for the full four hours beforehand, thus allowing the battery to obtain a full charge.  Charging the DP1800 is very straight forward and I did this using the included USB cable, which keeps everything tidy thanks to its neat, retractable design.  When you charge the DP1800, all three LEDs remain lit.  However, when it reaches its full charge capacity, the LEDs will switch off and the battery stops receiving a charge.  At this point, you’ll know the DP1800 is ready to be used.

Charging the DP1800 (Note – All LEDs are lit up)

I plugged the mini-USB connector into the input port on the DP1800 and the cable into my laptop.  After the four-hour charge period, a quick press of the check button illuminated the green ’Hi’ LED, advising a charge of 80% or more.  The DP1800 is now ready to charge your device!

The green LED lights up – ready to provide power!!

In Use

The first thing I noticed, as soon as it came out of its packaging, is just how light the DP1800 actually is.  It weighs just 88g and measures the same size as a credit card, so it’s perfect to carry around in your gear bag, or if you don’t want to carry your bag around with you, your jacket pocket will easily suffice!

Diamond have primarily designed the DP1800 to charge either the iPhone/iPod and Blackberry or HTC handsets, but it will also charge any device with a mini-USB connection.

During the review I charged my Blackberry 8900, which uses a 1400mAh battery, from an almost flat state to fully charged, in 90 minutes.  I then also charged my iPod Shuffle, again from a flat state.  As the iPod Shuffle dock connected straight into the output connection on the DP1800, I didn’t even need to use the USB cable.

The DP1800, providing juice to the Blackberry 8900

After this point, when I pressed the check button, the yellow LED lit up, which meant that it was probably getting close to the 20% capacity stage, however even after charging both the Blackberry and the iPod Shuffle, the red LED still wasn’t lit.  So, I began to charge my wife’s iPod Nano too, which was also very low on battery power, however the DP1800 died before the Nano’s battery reached approximately 1/4 full.

Overall Conclusion?

All in all, the Diamond DP1800 Mobile Battery is a sleek, well designed and very capable mobile battery.  Although the capacity of 1800mAh isn’t huge, especially compared to other mobile batteries that are available on the market, you’ll find that when you’re on the move, the DP1800 will be the perfect companion for you and your devices.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: Battery, Power

Diamond DP1800 Mobile Battery Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 12, 2010 at 11:00 am.

ThinkGeek offers a very portable, wearable universal charger they call the Bracer of Battery Life +2.  Unlike most charge-as-you-go chargers, this battery-extender doesn’t ruin the sleek lines of your phone, mp3 player, or gaming device, and you don’t need a different one for each of your gadgets.  You wear the Bracer on your wrist like a bracelet, and you’ll have a 1500 mAh, 5.5V power source at the ready.  The Bracer has a rechargeable lithium ion battery that recharges with the included USB cable.  There’s a power button, a power status LED, and a 4-LED power level meter.  The Bracer comes with a universal power output cable and nine connectors.  You’ll receive connectors for iPhone, Nokia I (3.5 mm), Nokia II (2 mm), LG, Samsung i900, Sony Ericsson, Sony PSP, NDS Lite, Nintendo DSi, and a mini USB connector for Motorola/HTC/Dopod/and many mp3/mp4 devices.  It’s $34.99 from ThinkGeek.

Filed in categories: News, Travel Gear

Tagged: Battery extender, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

Universal Wrist Charger from ThinkGeek originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 31, 2010 at 10:17 am.

It doesn’t suck power. As in vampire power, the new buzz term for chargers that continue to slurp electricity even when they are not actively charging your phone. AT&T’s soon to be released ZERO Charger automatically shuts down when it is not in use, eliminating 100% of vampire power. The ZERO is an AC charger with a USB socket, allowing you to use it with all sorts of devices that can be charged via USB. There’s no info on price or release date, but you can sign up to notified via email when it’s available.

[Via Gadgetreview]

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: Green, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

AT&T’s new ZERO Charger doesn’t suck… originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 19, 2010 at 4:13 pm.

The device plugs into the wall and then to your gadget. When your gadget is fully charged, Leech Plug ejects the cord. Photo courtesy of engadget.com

It’s no secret that everyone is looking for new ways to save power for whatever reason; either because you want to be “greener” or you want to lower your power bills from the “vampire suck” of plugged in but turned off electronics.  For $40.00, TV TrickleSaver shuts off the flow of power to your gaming consoles but now conorklein.com has demonstrated  “Leech Plug”.   Leech Plug also shuts off the flow of power to a chargeable device once its fully charged.  Only they go one step further…the device automatically ejects the plug in from the device. Interesting concept .

Interesting Video here:  http://vimeo.com/9392135 Courtesy of Engadget.com

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News

Tagged: Green, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

Geek Going Green originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 26, 2010 at 10:21 am.

The Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer displays the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly power usage of a connected device on its large backlit LCD. We’ve reviewed Kill-A-Watt products before (see related posts below), but this gadget goes one step further by providing a programmable timer feature with up to 96 programmable on/off settings per day. It also has a built in surge protector. The Kill-A-Watt Graphic Timer is available at ThinkGeek for $49.99

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News

Tagged: Green, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

Track Electrical Usage and Program Devices to Power On/Off originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 8, 2010 at 12:51 pm.

Do you have your eye on a multi-device charging system, but don’t want to fork over the $’s to buy one? Have you ever considered making one? That’s exactly what Gadgeteer reader Robert Grenader decided to do. Check out his handy work.

Robert:

Reading Eliminate Cable Clutter with the IDAPT Charging System, I was moved to send you a photo of my home grown charging station that only cost me about $25. Here’s how I did it…
I was surrounded by numerous devices all requiring constant charging. Multiple Bluetooth headsets, cell phones, smart phones, cameras, etc. The list goes on and on. Then I saw ads for those nifty charging stations that allow you to “charge all your mobile devices in one location.” Hammacher Schlemmer had one in ebony wood for $150, Brookstone has a nifty one for like $75, with an integral plug strip and the ability to hide the power bricks, but it would only hold something like 4 devices. Gee, this had to be better than headsets, phones, Kindles, iPODs etc loose on the edge of the bookcase.

Then I walked into an OfficeDepotStaplesMax (I can never tell them apart any more) and paid $20 for a wire desk storage thingy, $5 for a box of colored plastic butterfly clips and !presto chango! I can now charge all my stuff in one place.

What you don’t see is the surge protector around the corner behind the bookcase. This gives me the added ability to turn off the power when everything is nice and charged and eliminate at least one source of vampire power consumption.

All in all, I am quite pleased with the investment. Now, if I can only keep the Orange Cat from sitting on it….

Julie:

What do you guys think? Have you created something similar, better? Tell us about it.

Filed in categories: Articles, Do-It-Yourself

Tagged: charging, Power

DIY – Multi-Device Charging Station originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 31, 2010 at 10:41 am.

If you love your gadgets, but hate the cable clutter that goes along with them, the IDAPT charging system looks like an interesting solution to that problem. It’s a table top dock that is available in two configurations. One can charge two devices at once and the other can charge three. The dock can be customized by plugging in small charger tip modules that are compatible with your devices. The 3 slot model is priced around $72 and the 2 slot model is priced at $50. Both docks either come with 6 pre-packaged common tips, or 4 tips of your own choosing.

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: charging, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

Eliminate Cable Clutter with the IDAPT Charging System originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 19, 2010 at 8:38 pm.

It might look like something that Dr. Seuss might eat for breakfast, but this Green egg looking USB device is a button. The USB Green Button from Solutions has been designed to put your Windows or Mac computer into low power mode when pressed. This is one of those devices that no one really needs because Windows and OS X have options to go into power saving mode after a specified time of no activity. I guess this is for people that like to collect USB doo-dads. If you’re one of those folks, you can buy one for $7.99

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, News

Tagged: Green, Power, Spotlight Gadgets, USB

Go Green with a Touch of a Button originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 17, 2010 at 12:45 pm.

The DLO WallDock iPod Charger is a simple and effective gadget for anyone with one or more iPods/iPhones. This is a brain dead simple device weighing not much more than an iPod cable. No manual, no setup, nothing to configure – plug it into a wall socket and you’re ready to go.

The unit is a little wider than the widest iPod/iPhone, and is the requisite “Apple White” color. Unlike other docks, the rubbery top of this one is made so that when not in use it expands to be even with the dock connector. You can safely toss it into a bag and it will ride along fairly safely. When its time to plug in a device that same material will compress down and help keep the iPod in place, so you won’t need to talk along (or find) the appropriate dock adapters for all the devices you carry.

Operation

I feel a little silly telling you how to operate it, but here it is in a nutshell. Plug it into a wall socket.

It’s now ready to use. Obviously you want a socket that’s oriented the right way and has enough clearance that you can get an iPod in. You want a wall socket, because the wall is actually part of the dock for the larger iPods/iPhones.

Slide whatever iPod you grab first onto the dock, and it starts charging. Simple!

This is a “high power” charging system, so it will charge as fast or faster than when plugged into a USB port.

You can see from the photo above how the iPod leans back towards the wall while in the dock. The connector pivots a bit, so you can lean the docked device back until it touches the wall if you’d like. This will keep it steady (and it’s the reason you want a wall socket!).  It seems as stable as any other docking system, and it charged everything I threw at it including 1st and 2rd generation iPod Touches, an iPod nano, and an iPod classic.

Final Thoughts

What can you say about a wall plug charging dock? It’s really handy, it weighs just a few ounces, and it works well. It seems to be durably made – it survived a family trip, and was in near daily use with 4 devices for a week. It would look to be ideal for the traveler, but I have yet to determine if it can work with non-US voltages, so that could be an issue.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Reviews, Travel Gear

Tagged: iPhone, iPod, Power

DLO WallDock iPod Charger Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 14, 2010 at 9:20 pm.

Click to enlarge

If you are the outdoor type who likes to take along your iPod or iPhone, you’ll need a way to keep your device charged.  The Brunton Solaris i6 is a foldable solar charger that comes with an iPod charging cable.  It opens up to 29 X 9 inches and weighs 7.1 ounces.  It has four CIGS solar panels with a maximum output of 6 watts (15.4 volts/430 mA).  Order directly from Brunton for $208.40.  Dick’s Sporting Goods is offering it for $102.99.

Filed in categories: iPhone, iPad, iPod related, News, Travel Gear

Tagged: iPhone, iPod, Power, Solar, Spotlight Gadgets

Brunton Solaris i6 Foldable Solar iPod Charger originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 13, 2009 at 3:01 pm.

Charge and sync your devices with the NewerTech NuPower Charge and Sync+ 3-in-1 portable charger, battery pack, and sync solution for iPhone, iPod, cellphones, digital cameras, and other devices. It gives you the ability to recharge your device via a standard AC outlet or add extra run time with the built-in 1400mAh battery. You can even charge and data sync with your computer via USB. The NuPower Charge and Sync+ comes with three interchangeable cables: mini-USB, micro-USB and an iPod Dock Connector.

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: iPhone, iPod, Power, Spotlight Gadgets

NewerTech NuPower Charge and Sync+ originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 9, 2009 at 4:34 pm.

One of the burdens that every gadgeteer must bear is the burden of gadget charging. You know what I mean, almost every gadget that we  own runs on battery power. Mobile phones, audio players, video players, etc. Even though many of our devices can be charged via USB, which is a convenience, that can have its own challenges, such as running out of ports. Fortunately, the age of wireless charging is dawning and I’m going to tell you about one such solution today. It’s the Duracell myGrid Charging Pad. Let’s take a look.

Wireless charging really isn’t a new idea. I remember having that feature 5 years ago with the SPOT watches back in 2004. Some of them had a special cradle that you placed the watch on for charging. I thought that feature was the coolest thing ever and thought it would usher in a trend that would show up in new devices from that point further. Unfortunately, it didn’t. We had to wait almost half a decade before the next wireless charging feature was sighted. This time it was with the Palm Pre’s Touchstone charge. And now we have the Duracell myGrid.

Hardware Specifications

Max Number of Devices: 5 (15W max)
Dimensions: 6.75 in. W x 8.5 in. L x 0.75 in. H
Power input: 100 – 240 VAC, 0.4 Amps, 50 – 60 Hz
Power output: 15 Watts max
Weight: 4.0 oz.
Certifications: UL, FCC, ETL

Package Contents

myGrid Charging Pad
AC Adapter
Power Clip Adapter
Power Clip tips compatible with: BlackBerry Pearl 8100 series, Curve 8300 series, 8800 Series, Bold Series, Motorola RAZR series, RAZR V3 Series, MOTOQ Series, W385, W370, Nokia E71 Series, #2610, #6085,  #6061

(The three cases shown in the image above are sold separately for $34.99 each)

The charging pad has a hard plastic base with flat chrome metal slats on top. I think it looks attractive and doesn’t look out of place on a desk.

The starter kit comes with a Power Clip Adapter and three Power Clip tips.

The tips are adjustable. The connector part can slide up and down to accommodate the thickness of the device that you need to charge.

The adapter is made to stick to the back of the device you want to charge. It has an adhesive sticker on the back.

The smaller end of the adapter is magnetic and is designed to connect to the bottom of the Power clip.

To use a Power Clip, you insert the appropriate tip into the charging port of a compatible device. Here is the mini USB tip inserted into the charging port of my Slacker G2 Radio.

Then the Power adapter attaches magnetically to the bottom of the tip. You’ll notice 4 contacts poking out of the back of the adapter. These contacts touch the metal slats on the myGrid to charge the device.

At this point, the Slacker G2 should be charging. You can see that there is a small Blue LED on the myGrid. When that LED is lit, it means that there is contact with an adapter. Unfortunately, I had almost no luck using the adapter tips with the devices I tested them with. The Slacker G2 would show that it was charging only every so often like there might have been a bad connection. I also tried one of the mini USB tips with the Sandisk Sansa Clip. I had 0 luck with this device as well and didn’t get it to charge at all. I also tried the USB tips (both of them) with a couple different Motorola phones that I have laying around. No luck with them either. I don’t know if I can really complain about tips not working because the devices that I tested them with are not listed as being compatible with the myGrid. That said, they all are using mini USB connectors to charge and they charge fine with my computer. So go figure…

So the tips didn’t work. But the sleeve did! I was sent two BlackBerry sleeves and an iPhone sleeve (which isn’t available yet). I don’t have a Blackberry phone, so the iPhone sleeve is the only one that I was able to test. These are flexible Black rubber type sleeves with a built in connection to the charging pins on the phone. You can see the iPhone sleeve above on the Right. It has a stand dock connector built into it.

The back of the sleeves have the same spring-loaded contacts as the Power adapter that stick out and touch the myGrid charging pad surface.

The iPhone sleeve fit my iPhone 3GS just fine. The only down side is the somewhat ugly lump on the bottom that houses the built-in dock connector. Another down side that you’ll want to consider is that you’ll need to remove the iPhone from the sleeve in order to sync with iTunes on your computer.

I like that you don’t have to even think about how you place the device on the myGrid. The orientation doesn’t matter. As soon as I dropped my iPhone on the base, it began charging. Simple! Charging seemed just as fast as when using a USB docking cable with my computer.

An advantage of the myGrid is that you can charge up to 5 devices at one time. You might have a hard time fitting them all on the base though.

I see the Duracell myGrid as a definite step in the right direction as far as wireless charging is concerned. I hope that we’ll soon see devices that have been designed so that special sleeves and adapter tips aren’t required in order to charge wirelessly. But until that happens, the myGrid is a cool alternative (if the adapter tips work).

Filed in categories: Gear

Tagged: charging, Power

Duracell myGrid Charging Pad Cell Phone Starter Kit Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 5, 2009 at 10:27 am.