Travelmate USB Power Adapter does just what its name implies
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted January 19th 2009 12:54PM
posted January 19th 2009 12:54PM
If you're a serious gadget-head we don't need to explain just how convenient a USB power adapter can be (especially one that won't shock you). In the case of the Travelmate, USB Geek really does Apple one better, offering a device with two USB ports to Apple's one -- for a sweeter price, to boot. This guy works in your home or your car (or anyone's, for that matter) and includes connector tips for juicing up almost any handset. And if that weren't enough, we hear that the included "carrying pouch" also works with twenty-sided dice. You can't say that about just any pouch, can you?
Very nice!
I agree.
Whats with that USB cable being used in the photo? It looks super fragile.
The cable is retractable, so it needs to be flat to save space.
It looks like Apples, just with a little more blue.
And two USB ports.
and cheaper.
Woah, I know it's better than the apple one (Unless it turns out to fail)
*Everything* looks like Apple's. I'm beginning to think that the genius of Apple's super-simple designs isn't that they look really good, but that they're so basic *everything* looks like it was copied from an Apple design. My black-glass coffee table looks like it copied the iPhone design.
'Course, in this case, it looks like Apple's, just with a little more blue, more USB ports and less $'s.
Blu is a bag of hurt anyway.
Oh wait, you mean the color blue? That definitely makes it different from Apples.
@phoomp:
Um no. If you actually have eyes, you would be able to see that it looks like Apple's charger. No one is saying chargers can't look like rectangles but when the colour, chamfer radius, orientation and size of the device is so similar to another product, you have to be in some serious denial to say this isn't a direct copy of Apple's product. It's popular to hate Apple, but please don't be ridiculous.
Oh yeah?! Well this thing will probably get a safety recall, something that'll never happen with Appl... wait...
@Reetardeen:
*Read his last sentance*
Indeed, the blues are a bag of hurt.
It's just that song titles like "Walkin' the bag of hurt" sounded too weird.
For that price you could get the Belkin Travel Mini-Surge Protector. It's got 3 3-pronged power jacks AND 2 powered USB ports. Much more useful in my opinion.
Did Belkin pay you to write that? Your comments are suspect. If they did pay you it was probably with that crazy money I paid them back in the day for that KVM switch, and the cables it didn't come with, and even more cables it didn't come with, and...
@Dave
Belkin didn't pay him anymore than USB/Giz Geek paid engadget.
You must be new to this planet...
I agree. I bought the Belkin too. It's a 3 outlet surge protector and has 2 USB ports. I carry it everywhere. My girlfriend can charge her Blackberry and we can charge our iPods... without using a laptop.
I just bought one of those Belkins. While it may be a bit larger, it's hard to argue with getting three grounded outlets along for the ride, and for $16 over at Amazon (and no, I'm not a Mechanical Turk! :).
You guys must have missed the article about how belkin was paying people to write reviews for their products....Dave was making a joke that flew over all of your heads.
I agree; the "Belkin Unit" gets "5-Stars" IMHO and "I own one" and I'm not being paid by Michael Bayard to say any of this. No really!
I like the dual USB jacks for my automobile... not this thing. It's too big. I have noticed that when the temperature drops below 15-degrees F, these contraptions quit working out in my car. Commercial temperature range components ONLY. Drive about 10 miles, get the heater going... and they start to work again.
Seriously, I do like the Belkin USB adapter. Gave one to Dad too. I encourage everyone to buy at least 10 of them. ;) ;)
Well, my real name is Bayard Michael, and while I feel my name has been smudged by Michael Bayard...
I was going to write 'Finally' about the charger in this article, but now I must think, 'Gee, that Belkin unit seems to be Tit's up!'
I dunno, I like the power tips and the ability to use this in car over the Belkin. Seems more versatile to me.
No, the Belkin is better, I'd have to give it five stars. It saved my marriage! And rescued five kittens from a burning building!
Strange, I expected it to either be a vacuum cleaner or a portable bug-squasher, but USB Power Adapter the does what its name implies? Never. Luckily you told us.
Engadget, enjoy your MLK day, we can see that you are short on news today ;)
Just like any other Apple product, there's an alternative that does more and costs less.
Yeah this would be nice if I didn't already have 3 or 4 that I've bought off eBay over the past couple years for like 3 bucks each:
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-AC-Power-Supply-Plug-Adapter-for-MP4-MP3-Charger-US_W0QQitemZ220300378039QQcmdZViewItemQQptZOther_MP3_Player_Accessories?hash=item220300378039&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50
There, 4 bucks, shipped... only one port, but it folds pretty much flat. These things have been around for years, and dirt cheap too... why an article about a $25 one?
Sometimes the posts here are kind of like the Belkin thing but in reverse eh?
I'll tell you why it's better: because it serves up a full 1Amp of power. Even if it's 500mA per port, that's still more than your $5 ones will give you (200-300mA range. no specifics aside from 5V +/- 0.25V). Some devices need that extra juice. It also comes with the retractable cable and a couple useful tips.
Still, there's no spec on the voltage variance, so it's still kinda risky.
"USB Geek really does Apple one better, offering a device with two USB ports to Apple's one -- for a sweeter price, to boot"
yes but does it charge iPods properly? I've noticed my iPod charge lasts longer when charged with an Apple charger than it does with some other usb charger
an usb adapter is an usb adapter
you only think that your ipod charges faster on an apple adapter because steve is tricking you into thinking that the apple usb adapter is "different"
where in my post did i say faster? i said longer and it does last longer, a usb charger clearly isn't standard
isn't there are a lot of USB power adapters exist on the market already? So what so special about this one? Apple-ish design ~_~?
isn't there are a lot of USB power adapters exist on the market already? So what so special about this one? Apple-ish design ~_~?
Looks a lot like a Creative DAP charger.
I think I can see why you didn't use this alternate photo in your piece...
http://www.usbgeek.com/prod_img/usbtravelmateadapter4_s.jpg
LMAO!
i got your "pouch" right here, flatley!
Put that thing with the car adaptor attached in your front pocket and people will ask if yoy really that happy to see them.
I went to Japan for a few weeks in 2006 and mostly backpacked/rode the trains. For juice I took an apple wall usb charger and plugged in one of those mini usb hubs and zip-tied it to the apple adapter (japan uses almost/the same electric/plugs) it worked GREAT - charged my cell phone, DS, and ipod. I might have had something else I charged as well but cannot remember. Naturally, the devices had to be off to stand a chance of taking a charge off of the little ipod adapter.
Short comment - cool i want one!
As a sidenote, OAK airport now has standalone USB outlets, (presumably not connected to any data source), just so you can recharge all your gadgets.
USB is like the car cigarette-lighter socket, a defacto power source
Travelmate? I think I know a certain company that might be a little annoyed at that name...
Anyone know if this will charge the PS3 controller? I'm looking at an inexpensive alternative to charging my controllers. I find it (energy) wasteful to have my PS3 console ON, just to charge my controllers.
Umm, this is cool and all, but who looks at Apple's adaptors and says "you know what this needs, is precisely 1 more usb port!"
Why didn't they give the damn thing 3 ports, or 4, or 5? I understand there's a point of diminishing returns in terms of how much it costs to produce, but I can't imagine that number is 2.
"2" is the answer.
One simple reason; statistically people travel in pairs (his and hers, his and his, hers and hers, his and goat) and both have cell phones to charge.
I'm a hardware designer (EE). The other reason, is because it's so easy... there are plenty of these things laying around, and these duals cost you just as much as the singles... in quantity. So, why not 2 when it's practically free?
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=AE9926-ND
Assmann electronics? That is fantastic.
I like my Metro Triple Charger because it charges a ton of different devices, but unfortunately I can't find an iPhone 3G head for it. The old iPhone head apparently uses the old Firewire charging pins.
Does this one come apart where the blue bit is so that you can change the mains plug, like the Apple one does? It doesn't look like it does. That's my favourite feature of the Apple one: the amount of extra stuff needed when travelling is about as minimal as you can get. Also, the two halves connect together using the standard two-pin mains connector. So you can plug the plug half into other mains adaptors that would normally connect to a mains cable. I've done this with my Eee power supply and it works very well, effectively converting it into a plug-top.
I've got one of the power blocks from griffin. It's pretty much the charger that comes with the new iPhones (tiny), but slightly longer with two USB ports (and the the prongs fold flat into the body of the charger): http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerblock
I think it also looks pretty nice.
Finally...