Gizmodo: universal charger

Naolab ChargerFrame Turns Your Charging Gizmos into Work of Art

Kit Eaton — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Shanghai-based designers Naolab have turned their creative talents towards the universal gadget charging station, and come up with ChargerFrame. It's designed to put your charging gadgets on display... in a chaotic, randomly wiry, Pollock-meets-cats-cradle kind of way. It has sockets built all around the frame, a single on-off switch and pegs for you to drape electric wires and gadgets around. Of course every time you add or remove a device, the "picture" changes, and that's kind of interesting. Maybe I like it 'cause it's the sort of thing I dream up when in a creative mood, maybe because it's actually cleverer than the Sanctuary. Just a concept. [Dezeen]

Dealzmodo: Callpod Chargepod Universal Charger Down to $39.95

Jason Chen — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:00:00 EDT

One of our favorite multi-tipped chargers, the Chargepod, has just gotten a $10 discount down to $39.95 for the base. We're not going to be d-bags and say that our recommendation in the review last year for them to drop the price down to $39 had anything to do with it, because our egos aren't that gigantic. Their bundle pack with six adapters, chargers, and some various other stuff (carrying case) is $79, but that's a pretty small price to pay to keep your charging station organized and compact. [Callpod via PRnewswire]

Bluelounge Sanctuary Charging Station Has All The Wires You Need

Kit Eaton — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:06:11 EDT

We've seen neat and tidy ways to stick all your charging gadgets in one place before, but the new Sanctuary charger takes the biscuit by having all the wires and plugs you may need already built in. Ok, so it's actually got a power source with 11 different types of plug plus a USB socket under its lid, but that means it's apparently compatible with over 1,500 gizmos. Add in the fact that its looks are actually not bad, and you've got a winner. With one drawback: all that adapter-plug goodness means it costs $129.95. So you'll really have to want cable tidiness to buy this. [Bluelounge via Geeky gadgets]

Lightning Round: Anyfix Universal Mobile Charger Powers Most Dumb Phones

Jason Chen — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:00:44 EST

The Gadget: The Anyfix, the universal mobile phone charger that's designed by famed industrial designer Luigi Colani, charges many non-smartphones on the market today from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola and Nokia. There are a handful of different included tips, which you cycle through by pressing the button on the front. Once you choose the right tip, just slide your phone in and the plastic grips on the side and front hold your phone in place.

The Price: $49

The Verdict: It actually works as claimed, securely holding and charging all the listed phones. However, the size and position of the charger when plugged in means it's very unwieldy in a power strip and needs to be stuck directly into a wall socket or else it will usurp most, if not all the outlets. Even in this wall position, it takes up both sockets and prohibits anything else from being plugged in.

Compared with other universal chargers that we've reviewed, such as the Gomadic or the Chargepod which work with multiple, exchangeable tips that can charge 4-6 gadgets at a time, the Anyfix seems too bulky to recommend unless you've only got two or three supported phones that you don't need to charge at the same time. The lack of miniUSB charging also rules out many of our smartphone-loving readers. If it weren't for the previous two universal chargers letting you power multiple devices simultaneously, Anyfix would be the king of mid- to low-end charging with a pretty affordable price of $49. [Anyfix]

Universal Charger Powers Tools, Manly Stuff

Jason Chen — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:45:51 EST

Unlike the universal chargers we've used to power our cellphones and MP3 players, this 10C Crew Charge provides juice to battery packs workers use when they're doing manly work. The Crew Charge has four sockets and universal tips so you can power battery packs from DeWalt, Bosch, Panasonic, Hitachi and more, plus even charging laptops or cellphones with the 12v DC adapter. The whole thing is colored safety orange for maximum worksite visibility, so some guy doesn't trip over it and drill an unnecessary hole in his body. [The Free Charger via Red Ferret]