It's also a Class 1 Bluetooth device, so you've got a theoretical range of 100 meters. Couple that with the Callpod Dragon and you've got a 100 meter headset setup that connects itself. Give it to your parents so you won't have to teach them over the phone how to connect a Bluetooth headset.

Check out Callpod's first ad spot for their Chargepod below. It's actually pretty neat and shows non-techies why it's useful for them.

The Price: $119.95

The Performance: Incoming sound was rich and full, but outgoing cellphone sound was only very slightly echoey. The effect we heard gave the listener the feeling that the caller was inside a room. Nothing dramatic, but it was noticeable. It stacked up quite well compared with our current favorite, the nXZEN nX6000, with comparable incoming and outgoing call quality. It's also just as comfortable, with both an in-canal earbud and a hook over the ear for security.

There's even a special Dragon to Dragon walkie-talkie mode that goes for around 100 meters (we got somewhere between 50 and 100, but it was through a wall) that sounds as good as a cellphone call. Might not be useful for you, but Callpod tells us Cirque du Soleil is using it to communicate with performers on stage.

The Verdict: If you've got a need to Bluetooth walkie-talkie yourself around the house while you're not using it as a headset, the Dragon can fit the bill quite nicely. The miniUSB charging port means you can charge it with the included AC adapter, car charger, or even the Chargepod adapter (nice touch) that it shipped with. Plus, Callpod's got a Phoenix conferencing system coming soon that can join five Dragons together and make calls over a cellphone or Skype. At a price of $119 (which means it's on par with the rest of the Bluetooth headset crowd), it's got great quality with future extendability. [Callpod]

After getting our hands on it and testing it out on just about every portable device we have, we've come to the conclusion that the Chargepod is the future of gadget charging.

That's a bold claim, but once you use it, you'll come to agree with us. See, with standard AC adapters, you'll be hard pressed to fit them all on one power strip because quite a few are large and oddly shaped. Then you'll have to get two power strips (or a power squid), which then means both of your outlets are now occupado. With Chargepod, you take up one outlet in one power strip and you're done.

Although the fanned-out orientation while charging makes it take up about a square foot's worth of surface area, it doesn't occupy all that much space when compared to individual chargers. Then there's just the coolness of (there are six blue LEDs that tell you when something's inserted) being able to charge all your stuff with the same device.

The basics of Chargepod are obvious from the picture. You have one center base station with a lead that plugs into the wall. Then you've got six interchangeable adapters that you can plug just about anything into.

As for the chargers, there's USB, miniUSB, BlackBerry, Motorola, Sony Ericsson (phones and Bluetooth headsets), Sanyo, Samsung phones, Samsung headsets, Qualcomm, Kyocera, Audiovox, LG, Toshiba, Pantech, Palm (Treo, LifeDrive, Tungsten), Nokia, DS, DS Lite, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Micro, Nextel, Jabra, Sidekick, and various other phones I forgot to list. Essentially, it covers the whole spectrum of phones, headsets, and other gadgets.

Here's the downside: price. The base unit costs $49 and additional charger tips costs $9.95. This means that you'll have to buy at least five extra adapters (your first one's free) in order to fill up the entire body. That's over $100 to get yourself set up.

At this point, we can recommend Chargepod based on its convenience and ability to charge things as well as individual chargers, but if Callpod can get the price somewhere down to $39 for the base unit and $5 or $6 per adapter, then we can recommend this to everyone—even the cash strapped. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Callpod]

Chargepod adapters [Callpod]

The Gallery [Gizmodo]

A disadvantage we're seeing at this point is that you can't use Chargepod with larger electronic devices such as laptops. It includes an AC power adapter, and you can also get an optional USB adapter ($29.95) or a car charger ($19.95). We're digging those little blue indicator lights, but its $49.95 price (plus $9.95 per adapter) seems a little steep. We'll have to test this thing for you. – Charlie White

Product Page [Callpod]