GeekSugar

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.

Bird Bath Charger: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:00:25 -0800

It's great to see a wireless charging pad with a bit of style and flair. Basic black is fine by me, but why settle when you can have one that looks like a bird bath? Designed by Sun Kyung Kim and featured on Yanko Design, this circular white cell phone charger radiates blue rings of light for a ripple effect to indicate the charging status of your phone. I wonder how many other gadgets you could charge in this bath? What are your thoughts on it? Love or leave? Scroll down to let us know!

Wind-Up Cell Phone Charger

GeekSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:30:51 -0800

Whether or not this Wind-Up Charger actually works is beyond me. I don't doubt that it does, I just can't help but wonder if it's anything like the wind-up radios of yesteryear. With the wind-up, cell-phone charger, you can charge up your phone when there isn't an electrical outlet in sight. Just turn the handle vigorously for a few minutes and your phone will get enough power for approximately 25–30 minutes. Featured on Zedomax, it also comes with a built-in flashlight so you have some back-up in power outages. Priced at $12 each.

6-Way Charging With The Chargepod

GeekSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 13:07:38 -0700

This useful gadget should be labeled the charger of all chargers, or at least celebrated for its shape. With the callpod charger by Chargepod you can charge not one, not two, but six devices at once with a little extra arty flare. I probably would have laughed at this invention five years ago, but now that almost every device needs to be charged via USB it seems more than practical. You can use it for your PDA, iPod, cell phone, headsets, MP3 players and other devices (regardless of the manufacturer or model-just don't try to charge your laptop) with only one single power cord. Featured on Gizmodo, this fantastic charger will eliminate the multiple chargers lingering in your purse or drawer...not to mention the time you will save trying to decipher which charger goes with each gadget! When I first saw a price of $50, I thought score - That's less than $10 per individual gadget charger. But then I realized the exact opposite was true, each adapter on top of the base charger is $10 extra, which means the callpod will cost you $110 for all six adapters. To see a gallery, just read more

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Would You Be Excited About Universal Cell Phone Chargers?

GeekSugar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:44:54 -0700

Imagine being at your friend's house and being able to borrow their cell phone charger, whether they had the same phone or not. Or not having to ever get a new charger because you got a new phone!

That's going to become the reality in Europe, as major cell phone manufacturers - including Apple, Nokia, Samsung, and BlackBerry maker RIM - have just agreed to start using a standard cell phone charger. The micro-USB connector that will be used by every cell phone across the sea has obvious advantages - less waste, high convenience (maybe you won't need to DIY that charging station after all), etc., etc.

I am psyched about this decision, but I'm annoyed that it's not happening in the US yet - maybe the European Commission's deal will precipitate a similar situation stateside? Plus, I just wonder why this very obvious conclusion hasn't happened yet.

Tell me, are you excited about this decision, or is it a day late and a dollar short?

Cell Charging Station Inside Burger King In Philippines

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 07:00:24 -0700

Sure, we've considered how people in countries without widespread electricity and Internet access charge up and get online, but what are other wired nations doing to stay charged? In most of the US you have to fend for yourself. Apparently, not so in the Philippines. Smart PDA website captured this image of a cell phone charging station at a Burger King in the Philippines and used the picture to prove Nokia's dominance in the local market. It's a point I totally get (I mean, there are three Nokia ports on the charger station), but what about the fact that this is a cell phone–charging station in a fast-food restaurant? I've seen charging stations in airports, but not in restaurants. Have you seen one in a fast-food joint before? If so, when and where? I'm flabbergasted.

Source

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!

Tech News Roundup - Emergency Cell Phone Charger

GeekSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 14:00:11 -0800

Emergency phone charger will kill the "my phone was dead!" excuse - Chip Chick
WiiXT, the newest Wii modchip claims to enable DVD playback - Engadget
Mattel IM Me safer mobile instant messenger for kids - Gizmodo
Customizing your MacBook's glowing Apple logo - Hip Tech Blog
Is blogging anonymously just an online urban myth? - Shiny Shiny
Unlocking your car with a tennis ball - Techie Diva

Charge Your iPod Touch With the Sun Using This Case

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:50:06 -0700

I love my gadgets, but what happens when your cell phone or iPod needs to be juiced up and you're nowhere near a power supply and you managed to forget your iPod cord at home? Thanks to solar powered gizmos, you've always got a back up - well that is, if you have some sunlight to work with!

Novothink has created this hybrid solar iPod Touch charger case called the Surge (patent still pending), but unlike concept designs, this handy accessory will be available later this month for $70. The way it works is the case features 3.7 V lithium-ion battery that can either be charged via the sun (with the built-in solar panel) or by USB.

No word on whether they will come out with iPhone 3G and 3GS friendly versions.

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LG Teams Up With BART to Encourage Cell Phone Recycling

GeekSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:02:38 -0700

This past weekend as I exited the Embarcadero train station here in San Francisco, I noticed this ginormous cell phone recycling station. Upon further inspection (and research), I realized that LG has put up these Ecomobilize cell phone recycling bins in BART stations across the Bay Area to help combat the estimated 130 cell phones that will end up in US landfills this year.

I've already provided some simple ways to go green, but LG is making it really easy with their ecoMobilization movement because you can either drop off your phone, chargers, or accessories at one of these boxes, or text the word ECO to 57895 and reply to the text with your mailing addy. This way, a prepaid package will be delivered to your house so you can mail it away yourself and recycle your phone no matter where you live! Although I am hoping that the Ecomobilize bins pop up in subway stations across the country.

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