Video: UK Folding Plug concept could flatten that bulky British adapter
By Tim Stevens 
posted June 23rd 2009 7:03AM
posted June 23rd 2009 7:03AM
[Via Pocket-lint]
posted June 23rd 2009 7:03AM
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I'm staying put. These Folding Plugs are much more innovative and have a much smaller footprint. The Slimplugs look quite lame.
UK plugs are individually fused, hence the bulk. So all your lights don't go out if something blows. If this new plug also has a fuse it sounds great.
It says 'fused' on it.
watch the video. it is fused. great product.
Thanks for clarifications. I look at Engadget mostly in text only.
That's weird. I just look at the pictures. So I'll now comment on everything I see lacking based solely on the pictures without reading the text, and you can just explain to me what I missed.
Your system sounds really f-ing efficient...
ST2356: you seem to have blown your own fuse. Reason why I didn't see the reference was that I was looking at it on an iPhone and great though it is, reading text is much faster and more efficient than switching to a video. On my iMac screen I can the word "fused" in the photo but not on the iPhone. And I did try to thank those who put me right.
How do you connect the wires to it if needed.
I need this in my life RIGHT NOW. As a UK resident with a *few* gadgets at home all I can say is this is completely brilliant! Please god someone buy / make / sell this!!!
Actually, the biggest problem I found when living in America was that your plugs fall out of the socket if knocked. Or if you breathe on them. Or if a butterfly is hovering in the other room.
British plugs have the additional advantage in that they naturally lie prongs side up, biding their time for someone to walk across the room barefoot in the dark. :-)
Ah, yes, the deadly plug, don't think there are many things more painful that stepping on one.
How true; UK plugs may be bulky, but I do like the fact that once they're in a socket, it pretty much stays there if it gets accidentally snagged, unlike the US counterpart.
@Orinjz
I'd say that's not very safe.. if you snag the cable and it comes out, there's not as much stress put on it. If you snag the cable but it stays in (and you trip over instead), that cable could very well become damaged.. which then becomes a lovely hidden fire risk. Would you rather reboot your computer and lose a few minutes' work (save often!), or would you rather your house catch on fire while you're asleep?
That said, some older US-style sockets can become too loose.. to the point that wriggling the plug causes the power to cut on and off.. Which is why I think the Australian/NZ plugs are much better either of those :)
@Sirius
I'd rather that the connection remained in the wall rather than hanging halfway out due to the weight of the cable/adapter like they did when I was in the US last year. I think the european style plugs are a better 2 pin design because the pins are more rigid and therefore don't end up hanging diagonally downwards out of the socket.
And in all of my years, I've never had any issue with wire damage due to tripping over them. Firstly because I try to keep all of my cables out of the way and secondly because when you do trip over one of the sturdy little buggers, it's enough of a reminder to move them.
Every time there is an article here discussing plug styles, I always hear how terrible the US plugs are because they fall out of the sockets. I've lived in the US for over 25 years and never once had a plug fall out of a socket. I fail to see why this argument gets brought up over and over and over again.
Now, tripping over a cord is a different story, and in that case I want my plug to come out of the wall so that I don't rip the electrical cord or fall flat on my face.
Anyways, I just don't understand how so many people have trouble keeping plugs in sockets. It really isn't that difficult for anyone over the age of 5.
@Rob K
It's because every single US hotel that does not cost a couple thousand bucks a night is old, run down and smelly, and thier plug sockets are always "a bit off".
@Ryan
I like how you take two examples of simple mistakes and translate that into stereotyping the entire nation. Good job.
I don't have trouble with the plugs in the US. Maybe if the plug is of low quality or if the prongs are bent, but I haven't had any problems recently at all. And I would rather have the plugs come out than stay in. I literally tore wires on my earbuds because it wouldn't come out of the jack when it got stuck.
And hotels? wtf? Where are you staying? 50 - 100 bucks gets you decent to very nice hotels.
@fanman I'd love to know where you get your numbers from. Population of Manchester: ~460,000, population of Scotland and Wales: ~8.2million... Hell, even if you take Greater Manchester, it's still only 2.2million.
The greater manchester area has about half the population of Scotland. As for the city itself it's pretty small.
Regardless of whatever we say here, Andy Murray will be called English by many, many sports commentators this week.
@Mrpinkbunny
That should have been "either" not "aswell as". The population of Manchester is 2,240,230 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester) whilst the population of Wales is 2,903,085 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales). By contrast, the population of greater london is 7,512,400.
The problem with most US sockets is that most of them are cheaply designed and manufactured. HOWEVER...There are 'spec grade' sockets that do not have the issue of plugs falling out. When you put a plug in these sockets, they stay put! I actually do prefer the UK plugs/sockets (in spite of the extra bulk) just because of the safety features (fused, switched, guarded from accidental contact) but not ALL US sockets are crappy...
Awesome design! Hurry, Hurry will you?
I love how they design a handle on it for easy removal.
Slimplug £4.99 on ebay, the design is even better since, it's the metal bits you wanna fold away so you don't destroy the surface of that nice new MacBookPro in your bag.
Do you work for them or something?
Remind me again, why would I put ANYTHING else in the same compartment of a bag that holds my laptop? If I could hermetically seal the thing in by itself, I would.
looks like something apple would make...
is that a cheese danish? ummm.... cheese
bravo !!!
Sorry Paul, But you actually look at this or the link you posted? Not quite the same. Worth actually putting a bit of thought into it when posting :P
I just realized that my plug can be actually folded too.
To follow that concept someone should invent one that can be both hard and placid, as the needs required.
As she pointed out (after showing the same image) it's still a bulky object. This new design is much much slimmer.
Now that truly is something, you have to watch the video btw, it answered all my questions. The multi adaptor is amazing this is a £Million idea for sure, it better take off no reason why it shouldn't. I have this problem with my DS, I have a little bag for it and i have to squish the adaptor into it, the only bulky thing.
The multi adaptor idea just takes it to the next level, its genius to just keep it flat but this relies on the idea taking off. Most existing devices use power cables so people can just buy new ones so as long as they are not charging monster prices for them I would be willing to buy them.
I wonder when someone will design a folding multi adapter
I wouldn't include ireland in that UK of yours... bad things happen when you do that....
That's a beautiful *concept*...
Just one small problem, though...it doesn't appear that the pins of the plug actually *connect* to anything.
The rotating pair of prongs don't seem to have any wires attached to them (otherwise, how could they rotate?) and
the fold-down "wings" don't seem to have any way to connect to the pins or any wires inside them.
internal wires in the pivot point perhaps...?
Awesome about time.
Safety was the first concern.
Sure the UK plug is not gorgeous but very sturdy.
This is considered one of the safest design,
which is more advanced than it's grandparents,
with fuse in the device and square foot for more friction.
Please bear in mind that this appears to be nothing more than a nice drawing right now. There is a small problem of making it for real and passing british standards to get the kite mark...
Nice try though.
I'm pretty sure that plug wouldn't pass any safety tests and I don't see anywhere for a fuse to go
I've a DS adapter with pins that fold into the plug when not in use but it's flimsy as anything
The plug is a good design anyway, replacing a smaller round pin design that was still fairly common up until the early 1980s
Not had any issues with the current plugs (although people who make chubby plug in transformers that obstruct two other sockets on a 4 way strip should be locked up. or shot.)
Possibly watch the video? Then you'll see the fuse.
I believe he does work for them. The slimplugs are lame - hardly space saving.
Now the ones in this article look interesting.
Stop trying to plug the slimplug :-)
Watch the video Adam there was somewhere to slip the fuse in.
Well, Northern Ireland, but I just said Ireland as I'm sure it doesn't go from three to two pronged in a matter of a few hundred yards.
Epic, epic win.
There is nothing wrong with the plugs we use now, it's not like you need to carry them around with you that often.
Not the only country to do that though...e.g. Japan calls Britain 'Igirisu', i.e. English
Looking around my home office, I have multiple 4 and 6 way extensions taking up valuable space. The extension idea alone is complete genius. The space saving is incredible. Slimplug is good of course, but doesn't come close to the brilliance of this idea.
If this had been on Dragons Den, they would have been falling over themselves to get a piece of the action.
Please. I need this.