Don’t get tied up in knots over organizing your cables, use Untie Cord Organizer!

NEWS – I can’t stand a tangled cable mess, so I generally use hook-and-loop ties to organize my cables. But then I saw the Untie Cord Organizer and thought that that would be a clever and really quick way to neatly store my earbuds. The Untie organizer is a bendable stainless steel tie coated in silicone, thus, you no longer have to worry about snagging the hook-and-loop ties on your clothes or other things – just wrap the Untie organizer around your cables and you’re ready to go (or leave them behind your desk or entertainment center)! These ties are a little on the expensive side, so you may only want to use them on your most frequently used cables.

The Untie Cord Organizer (shown in the left photo above) and its sister product, Unlace Silicone Lace (shown in the right photo above) come in a package containing four ties and are available from Amazon. There are two lengths (ten-inch length for $10.95 and five-inch length for $8.95) and multiple colors to choose from. I might be giving these a try in the near future!

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Don’t get tied up in knots over organizing your cables, use Untie Cord Organizer! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 3, 2019 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

The Volt is the vampire of charging cables

NEWS – The Volt is a short cable that you can use to charge one device from another device. That’s right, this cable siphons juice from one battery and effectively turns that device into a portable battery that you can use to charge a second device.

The Volt Battery Share Cable will not work with iPhones, but the cable will work with most Android devices that have either a micro USB or USB-C port. The cable is available in two sizes: .25m and .75m (approximately 10 inches and 30 inches) and has a micro USB connector on each end with an adapter that will turn it into a USB-C connector. On one end there’s a USB-A connector so that you can plug the cable into a USB adapter.

Why would you need this cable? It’s less bulky than carrying a portable backup battery and you don’t have to depend on that battery being charged. The only thing you do have to depend on is having a device that can be used as the host while the other device with the low battery (the vampire) sucks the sweet sweet power elixir from the host.

The Volt Battery Share Cable Kickstarter campaign that started today and ends on January 10, 2019. Right now they have raised almost $2,000 towards their funding goal of $15,000. You can pre-order a Volt Battery Share Cable starting at $25. After the Volt Battery Share Cable campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in February 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: , ,

The Volt is the vampire of charging cables originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 11, 2018 at 4:25 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord review

REVIEW – Have you ever seen a new product and thought wow, why didn’t someone think of that a long time ago? That’s what I thought of the first time I saw the Stella illuminated laptop charging cord from Ten One Design.

What is it?

The Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord is a premium charging cable that has the coolest feature you never knew you needed – a built-in light.

Design and features

The Stella laptop cord is currently available in two versions. One for Apple MacBook charging adapters (as you can see above) and some iOS adapters rated for 10 watts or higher and another version made for Windows laptop charging adapters with 2 prong cables. Soon Ten One Design will offer another PC version of the cable for 3 prong Mickey Mouse style power cables. You can also buy the Stella cables in either blue (like the one I’m showing here) or aqua.



The cord itself is a thick but flexible 6-foot cord with a soft braided nylon cover. The 2 prong plug has a polycarbonate shell that is attached to the cord at a 45-degree angle and has a built-in LED above the prongs.

On the opposite end of the cord is the connector that attaches to the Apple MacBook charging adapter. This connector has a slide out clip that is designed to hold the end of the cord when it has been wound around the charging adapter.

Installing the Stella cord

To use the Stella cord, you just take your Apple MacBook charging adapter and remove the 2-prong folding adapter attached to it.

Your existing MacBook folding 2-prong adapter slides out of the charger for easy removal.

Then the Stella adapter attaches to the MacBook adapter with a perfect fit.

Witchcraft or science?

The magic happens when the Stella plug is placed near an outlet. The LED above the prongs on the plug lights up.

The light provides just enough illumination so that you can see to plug in the cord when you’re in the dark or a dimly lit environment. But it does this without the aid of a battery. It’s like it’s using power from the air… and actually, that’s exactly what it’s doing. Stella uses patent-pending technologies to detect faint electrical fields present near common household electrical receptacles. I found that it will even light up sometimes when you’re not even near an outlet. Or maybe I just have an electrical personality!

You’re probably wondering if the LED stays lit when the cord is plugged into the outlet. No, it doesn’t. It just lights up for about 5 seconds and then automatically turns off.

When you’re not using the cord, you can use the built-in clip to keep things neat and tidy.

What I like

  • Works like magic without batteries
  • Provides light so I can see to plug in the cord when it’s dark

What needs to be improved

  • Expensive

Final thoughts

Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord is definitely cool as heck but is it worth paying $35 to switch out your existing power cord just to get a little light? That’s the obvious question, isn’t it? It all comes down to if you use your laptop charging adapters in dimly light areas on a frequent basis and if you have problems orienting the plug into the receptacle when you do. I’m trying to figure out the last time I needed light to plug in a cord and I nothing comes to mind but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there that could use a cord like this every day. If you’re one of those people, the Stella cord might be perfect for you. But most people will probably just think it’s cool and move on.

Price: $34.95
Where to buy: Ten One Design and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Ten One Design.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

Ten One Design Stella illuminated laptop charging cord review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Eliminate carrying multiple cables with the Anker PowerLine II 3-in-1 cable

NEWS – Anker has a created the PowerLine II 3-in-1 charging cable (3 feet long) to help us eliminate the need to carry multiple cables around. It is a micro-USB cable that contains Lightning (MFI certified) and USB Type-C adapters. It is made to be universally compatible for “laptops, phones, game systems, and more…” In addition, the PowerLine II cables all come with lifetime warranties because of their “bulletproof fiber reinforcement for long-lasting performance”. The Anker PowerLine II 3-in-1 3 foot cable is available from Amazon for $14.99. Use the code ANKER846 to get $3.75 off that price (get it while it’s good) – thanks Kinja Deals!

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Eliminate carrying multiple cables with the Anker PowerLine II 3-in-1 cable originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 27, 2018 at 8:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Nomad Battery Cable review


If you depend on your smartphone as much as I do, then anything that adds convenience is worth at least a “second look”, and in many cases, is worth trying. When I saw the Nomad battery cable, its initial appearance seemed to be unique, so I decided to test it out.

What is it?

The Nomad Battery Cable is a cable designed for the iPhone that offers the ability to charge the phone and transfer date all in one cable, with a lightning adapter on one end, an inline battery, and a USB plug on the other end.

What’s in the box


In the box, you will find the Battery cable, and the instructions printed on the inside of the box.

Design and features

Specifications

1X iPhone charge
Apple MFi approved
Pass-through charging technology
Capacity: 2800mAh
Input: USB A 5V/1.5A
Output: Apple Lightning 5V/1.5A
Length: 1.5 meter

The Nomad Battery Cable is a rugged cable that according to the manufacturer is made from Ballistic Nylon. The inline battery is encased in an aluminum housing. This cable is compatible with the iPhone 5 through iPhone X, and it is not designed for iPad. When fully charged, the inline battery is capable of providing one full phone charge. During testing, my iPhone 8 Plus was charged at about 20% per hour.
The cable is 5 feet long, with a USB connector on one end and a lightning connector on the other. The inline battery starts at approximately 11 inches from the USB end of the cable and the length of the battery enclosure is approximately 5 inches long.


Nomad includes a silicone cable strap on the cable to conveniently keep the cable wrapped up neatly when not in use or when in use in close proximity.
Rather than include an instruction booklet, Nomad uses a minimalist style and prints the instructions on the inside of the box.

On the side of the battery enclosure, there is a button to test the battery charge status, and a LED that lights orange when the battery needs to be charged or is less than 30 % charged, and lights up white when it is fully charged or charged anywhere between 30% and 100%. If the battery charge is really low, the LED flashes orange.


What I like

I like that the cable is made extremely well, and seems very unlikely to easily suffer from the fraying damage that most cables do. I also like that the battery is built into the cable so that I can carry just this one cable for both data and charging purposes.

What can be improved

I find that the length of the cable can become an issue at times even with the silicone strap. I think that if the cable can be housed in some retractable way, then it would work better for my daily use.

Final thoughts

After using the Nomad Battery Cable for a while, I am still “on the fence” about whether or not it will become a part of my “go to” bag of accessories. While the concept is good, I can buy a USB battery pack with more capacity and a well-built lightning cable for much less than the cost of this item. While this cable offers the two options in one convenient package, its use is limited to specific phones and to only providing one charge before it needs to be recharged. It can definitely be very helpful in an emergency, but I am undecided about its practicality beyond that. Maybe I will post an update in a month or two if my opinion changes.

Price: $49.95
Where to buy: Nomad website and Amazon.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nomad

The post Nomad Battery Cable review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

Nomad Battery Cable review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 5, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.