The more portable our devices become, the less portable our lives are.  When I travel, I take my cell phone; my Pocket PC; maybe a separate MP3 player, such as an iPod; my Bluetooth headphones; and more.  Suddenly, I am taking five different power cords.  More if I want anything to be able to sync to my laptop (and don’t get me started on my laptop’s power cord).  Frankly, I need a separate bag just for the jumble of cords for all of my "portable" devices.  Surely, there must be a better way, and now there is!  Enter Gomadic and their patented "TipExchange" Technology.  Thanks to Gomadic, portable truly means portable.  One cord can power all of your devices.  To prove this, I recently brought the Gomadic travel system (actually titled the Car and Wall Charger Retractable USB Hot Sync Compact Kit) on several extended car trips.

What’s In The Box: This set includes three basic components.  There is the main unit which consists of a flat, retractable cord in a 2" plastic housing.  Just pull both ends of the cord and it clicks open to 31" when fully extended.  Push the big red button, and both ends snap shut (like a tape measure).  Additionally, the kit includes a car charger with 5vdc, 1000mA output; and a standard AC wall plug, also offering 5 vdc, 1000 mA output.  The full technical specifications of each component are available from Gomadic’s website.  Both components connect to the retractable cord through the USB end on the cord.  Finally, each kit comes with a "TipExchange" tip specific to your device.

This set includes three basic components.  There is the main unit which consists of a flat, retractable cord in a 2" plastic housing.  Just pull both ends of the cord and it clicks open to 31" when fully extended.  Push the big red button, and both ends snap shut (like a tape measure).  Additionally, the kit includes a car charger with 5vdc, 1000mA output; and a standard AC wall plug, also offering 5 vdc, 1000 mA output.  The full  of each component are available from Gomadic’s website.  Both components connect to the retractable cord through the USB end on the cord.  Finally, each kit comes with a "TipExchange" tip specific to your device.

Portability: One of the best features of this kit is the portability.  Since the main cord is retractable, not coiled, it can fit into some of the smallest corners of my bag.  In fact, when it is fully disassembled and retracted, I can hold the whole thing in the palm of one hand, and still set it up in seconds.  Just extend the cord, plug the appropriate tip into one end, and the car charger or wall plug into the other.  My only complaint is that it did not come with a pouch or bag in which to carry all of the pieces.  With three main parts, and several tips, things can get lost quickly.  I solved this problem, however, by purchasing a small camera bag.  The large parts go into one pocket and the tips are in another.  Problem solved and portability ensured.

Tip Exchange: All right.  This is the really cool part that sets the Gomadic system apart from all of its competitors.  Gomadic has designed "TipExchange Technology."  Instead of being hardwired to a specific device, all of Gomadic’s cords have an open end, allowing you to purchase the tips which fit your individual device.  Need to charge your iPod?  Snap in the tip.  Switch to your cell phone by swapping tips.  Gomadic offers tips for over 500 mobile devices, PDA’s, phones, and MP3 players.  TipExchange is the best thing to happen to portable devices since the cell phone became small enough to fit in your pocket.  As our lives get more and more portable, our devices should stay that way too.  TipExchange ensures that you only ever need one power cord, regardless of the brand, style, or type of devices you use.

The Results: As I mentioned, my family took several extended road trips this fall.  On each of these trips, I took at least four devices: my PDA (which would have required a power cord and a sync cord), my cell phone, an MP3 player, and my Bluetooth headphones.  In all, this would have required four power cords, and a sync cable.  Instead, I took only the Gomadic kit.  It worked perfectly.  I was able to charge everything using the TipExchange technology in the car, at my mother-in-law’s house, at my parent’s house, and even in several hotel rooms.  I would note, however, that due to the Axim’s power consumption, I was not able to charge and use it simultaneously (the reasons for this have been explained to me, but they are way over my head.  For more on this issue, there is a great discussion at Aximsite).  However, as long as I left it turned off while charging, my Axim charged to full capacity in several hours.  I had even greater success with my other devices.  Since they did not have the Axim’s power consumption issues, I was able to easily charge and use my other devices at the same time with both the car charger and wall plug attachments.  The Gomadic Car and Wall Charger Retractable USB Hot Sync Compact Kit is now a staple for all of my mobile devices, and, because it is so compact, I take it with me everywhere I take my PDA.

I also used this kit to sync my Axim to my laptop when I was traveling.  I was able to sync the two flawlessly using ActiveSync and the USB sync plug on the Gomadic cable.  This is a real bonus, as it allows you to sync your PDA to your laptop on the road, without the burden of carrying one more cable.  One thing I did notice, however, while syncing, the Axim did not seem to be drawing enough power, and frequently reverted back to battery power or flickered.  As noted above, however, this is an issue related to the Axim’s power use, not the Gomadic charging kit.

Conclusion: Gomadic has definitely started a power revolution with their "TipExchange" Technology.  No longer will we be forced to carry more plugs, chargers and cables, than actual devices.  Anyone who uses more than one mobile device will want to check this out.  With an extensive library of tips, the Gomadic kit can power virtually any mobile device.  Additionally, because it is fully retractable and portable, it is small and light enough to carry in your briefcase, daybag or purse. 

The Gomadic Car & Wall Charger Retractable USB Hot Sync Compact Kit is available from Gomadic.  It is currently priced at $39.95.   Additional tips can be purchased for $4.95 each.  A complete list of all of the tips available can be found here.

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