Review: IDAPT I3 Universal Desktop Charger

Review: IDAPT I3 Universal Desktop Charger
[Rating:8]
Web Site: http://www.idaptweb.com
Price: $49.99
Colors: Black, Pink, Silver, White

If you have multiple devices to charge daily, like me, Idapt I3 is a lifesaver. It is a universal desktop charger, with a single cable running to the wall. It fits nicely on a desk (7”x5.5” – 18cm x 14cm).

No more cables and bulky adapters cluttering the wall. No more trying to dig out a different adapter for a different device.

The Idapt I3 can charge up to 3 devices synchronously. It comes in Black, Pink, Silver and White colors. Mine was pink, as selected by my daughter. A daddy’s gotta do what a daddy’s gotta do :). You have the option to pick your own 4 tips or get a pre-bundled one with 6 tips for $49.99 (also for $64.99 you can get a pre-bundle of 10 tips). There is a tip for every need (20 in total so far) – from AA/AAA battery chargers to microUSB, from miniUSB to Nintendo DS. Each extra tip is $9.99. Not a bad deal, as you add new devices to your collection, you don’t have to worry about changing your chargers, rather you can simply change the tip.

I opted for a 6 tip bundle for our demo unit. The tips included are Nokia2, SonyEricsson2, Samsung4, iPod/iPhone, miniUSB and microUSB. This covers many people’s needs. Most recent Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung devices are covered, plus mini and micro USB takes care of Blackberry units. Plus they have sent me additional Nintendo DS tip. The setup was a breeze, simply plug the unit to the wall, insert the three tips you want and set your devices on Idapt I3.

Here you can see my Blackberry 9700, Blackberry 9000 and iPhone 3G sitting peacefully together. The only issue I had was the left convenience key of the 9000 kept pushing while I was trying to plug the unit. Locking the keyboard helped there.

For my next set of devices, I left 9700 there, but added a Samsung Comeback and a Nintendo DS. Thanks to the design, you can put the bulky units, like DS by themselves in the front.

As you can see from the below picture, it is very simple and elegant, only one cable to run to the wall.

Overall I am very satisfied with the Idapt I3. My only concern is the way you plug in your devices. I already had wear and tear at mini USB port on my Blackberry 9000. I wonder if it will make it worse to use it with Idapt. I have seen/used other solutions where a short cable comes out of the base unit. In my view it might be better, but for some users those cables can be a clutter too.

Highly recommended…

Pros:

• No cable clutter
• Single cable running to the wall, leaving other plugs available.
• Simply change tips, when you change devices

Cons:

• If you want to charge more than one bulky device at a time, it could be troublesome
• Sitting your devices on the tips can bring strain to your device’s plugs.