GeekSugar

Ikea's Affordable Cable Storing and Gadget Charging Solutions

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:43:17 -0800

In a world of expensive charging stations, it's a relief that a geek on a budget can head to Ikea to pick up a simple $3 charging dock that will do the job it was meant to preform: hold your gadgets while they're juicing up. Additionally, for all you cable-hiding freaks out there (yours truly, included) Ikea also offers simple and cheap solutions for any cable management nightmare. All of these products are $10 or less, so I know you can scrounge up the scrilla to get organized. Check them out here!

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Blinded by the Light: Have You Been Fooled by a Commercial?

GeekSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:05:28 -0700

I was stoked after seeing a commercial for the Powermat, a wireless gadget charger that claims to charge any of your electronic toys without wires, cords, or trouble just by placing your device on the Powermat - finally a solution to my cord-management problems! A few days later I saw the Powermat at my local Best Buy and considered forking over the $100 listed on the price tag for convenience alone. But then reality (and an explanation from the sales rep) set in: $100 is not the bottom line on this super charger.

The Powermat does exactly what it says it does: charges your cell phones, PSP's, smart phones and other gadgets, but it does so with the help of dedicated cases that have a receiver attached to the back. Bye-bye custom iPhone and Blackberry cases - you'll be rocking the Powermat case and battery pack (which sticks out on the back) from now on. What's more, each gadget case starts at $30, and you'll need one for each device you want to charge! For me, this meant spending over $200 just to have all of my daily accessories covered. I walked away a little disappointed, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been fooled by a gadget commercial before. Share your gadget commercial rants, or about the time you bought a gadget and it wasn't what you expected below!

Super-Simple (and Cheap!) Earbud-Cord Storage

GeekSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:22:12 -0700

Sometimes even the most high-tech gadgets can be improved with the simplest of projects. Case in point: these earbud clips ($10 for a package of four) by PKOH. The colorful plastic clips slide secure your earbuds after wrapping them around your iPod.

I love this simple solution! No matter how carefully I try to store my iPod headphones, they're usually a tangled mess by the time I take them out of my bag - so I'm a huge supporter of cord management.

The Name Says It All: Bluelounge's Refresh Charging Station

GeekSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:41:00 -0700

In case you haven't noticed, I have a thing for charging stations. I just can't get enough of 'em. Call it my OCD for cable management, or the fact that between my boyfriend and I combined, we have more gadgets than a small country, but I love a nice and neat desk where my gadgets can refresh and recharge. This is why I love Bluelounge's Refresh charging station. Coming in three colors (black, white and pink), the Refresh boasts mini and micro USB cables, and has room for five of your most coveted gadgets: iPod, BlackBerry, iPhone, camera, or whatever you need juiced up.

Although I have much love for this simple and stylish charging station, I do have a gripe: the $90 price tag. Whoa? Whoa is right. Sure, this baby keeps all your cords out of sight and managed, but how much are you willing to pay for a sleek pink plastic box? Ponder that, my friends.

Geek Tip: Work With What You Have For Cable Management

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:03:01 -0700

Although I've scoured and searched for the best cord management system possible, the reality is, you just gotta work with what you got. Take this Wolverine Mighty Mugg my boyfriend has sitting on his desk at work. Every other day, it's just been a simple toy taking up space, but today, it turned into a genius way to manage his iPod cable when not in use.

And really, for 15 bucks (or so), you won't find anything that satisfies your inner child, cable management OCD, and urge to help the planet at the same time - according to Hasbro, these babies are made from 100 percent recycled awesome. Nuff said.

Geek Out: Do You Embrace Your Cord Mess?

GeekSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:02:32 -0800

I don't know if I could ever be as comfortable displaying my mess of cords like the apartment dweller in this admittedly breathtaking photo from Desire to Inspire, but I'm definitely less anal about having visible cables running from my beloved tech to my outlets.

You can try and try to hide and gather your cords, but at some point, you have to become all Zen about it and say, "I have visible cords and that's fine." Trust me, you'll sleep better. How do you feel about your cord mess?

Behold: Shockingly Awesome Cord Management

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:00:37 -0700

Check out this video from DLTV's latest TiVo Cast of the best-managed cord situation in a desk that I have ever seen. Man, if I could do this, I think I would even begin sleeping better. It's that good.

The cords have disappeared! Think you could DIY something like this?

The DLO Jam Jacket For Your iPod

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 02:52:44 -0700

Yes, I'm afraid it's true, I am one of those iPod cord abusers who wraps her earphone cord entirely around her iPod when it's not in use. Okay, maybe I should seriously consider getting myself a pair of Sony's cute retractable headphones but for now i'll stick with my Apple buds. Detangling cords is not my idea of fun, but up until now I thought that this was my only cord storage option for my earphones! Check out this, the new Jam Jacket with cord management by DLO is a silicone case that will provide iPod and click wheel protection as well as tightly hold your earphone cords in place.

Whenever you want to listen to your tunes, all you need to do is unwind as much cord as you need, then latch it in the side notch and all the excess cord will stay wrapped up. The DLO Jam Jacket is $20 and available for both 30GB video iPods and second generation iPod nanos.

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Fred and Friends' Rew Keeps Your Earbud Cords Untangled

GeekSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:05:19 -0700

The relationship between man and cord is an uneasy alliance. They're necessary, but annoying.

There are a slew of products for cord management at home, but your earbud cords are sometimes the most irritating to keep tangle-free.

If a simple hand trick isn't enough, a separate detangler may do the trick. Fred and Friends' new Rew gadget is a spool and cord holder in one - and keeps up the cute while it works, in the shape of a cassette tape. Irony and practicality in one!

Sombrero Cord Management: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:00:35 -0700

I can't seem to get enough of these simplistic cable cord spools. I got so excited about the headphone cable wraps which were basically a colored clip and now I'm equally excited about this cord manager. Designed by Andrea Ruggiero and featured on Apartment Therapy, the Sombrero Cord Management accessory (named Sombrero because of its straw hat shape), keeps cords stowed away in an organized fashion. You can screw it onto a vertical or horizontal surface, spool your cord, anchor the outgoing cord into one of the three notches to prevent accidental unwinding and stack them on top of each other. Available in avocado green, aqua blue, pimento red, noche grey and media noche from Mockett for $4. What do you think of it? Something you could see yourself using?