The iPhone has been on the market for a little over one month now, which means that the accessories are starting to pour in. The first iPhone accessory that I’m going to tell you about is XtremeMac’s InCharge Auto car charger.
This product is available in both Black and White versions. In addition to the iPhone, this charger will also work with iPods that have the universal dock connector. Let’s take a closer look.
This product is comprised of two parts. A bullet shaped adapter that plugs into your vehicle’s 12V power adapter (cigarette lighter) and a 60″ inch long USB cable that has an iPod universal connector on one end.
The other end of the USB cable has a standard USB connector on it that plugs into the adapter. This way, you can use the cable in your car and then also with a computer to charge your iPhone / iPod at your desk.
Connecting the InCharge Auto to the iPhone is a no-brainer. The connector fits perfectly.
I found that the 12V adapter part of the cable fit fine in the cigarette lighter in my 2006 Mazda 3.
With my car, I have to start the engine in order for the adapter to start charging the iPhone. You know when the adapter is working correctly, because you will notice a Blue LED on the end.
The nice thing about the XtremeMac InCharge Auto charger is that it has a self-resetting fuse that never needs replaced. The cable is also a nice length so that you can actually use your iPhone while it’s plugged into the socket. A lot of charger cables are too short, so you have to unhook them when you receive a call. That’s not exacctly convenient if your battery is extremely low.
For $20, this is a handy little accessory to keep in a glove box of your vehicle, or just plugged in all the time.
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Just curious, does the iPhone require a different car charger than an iPod (assuming a fairly recent iPod)? I thought the iPhone used the same dock connector. If I ever get an iPhone, it sure would be nice to be able to use the various iPod cables I’ve already got (and paid $$ for).
I don’t think it does require anything different. I think XtremeMac is just marketing it as an iPhone accessory to draw in customers. I’ve used a regular iPod car charger with my iPhone and not had any problems with it.