It seems strange to say that you have a favorite power cord company.  I mean, all power cords are created pretty much equally, right?  Well, that is what I thought until I encountered the Gomadic Corporation.

I first heard of Gomadic last year when I read about their TipExchange technology in Smartphone and Pocket PC Magazine.  I immediately purchased the Gomadic Car and Wall Charger Retractable USB Hot Sync Compact Kit and fell instantly in love with their tip exchange technology.  TipExchange is Gomadic’s response to one of my personal pet peeves: power cord propriety.  Power cord propriety (which I believe is a phrase I just coined) occurs when each device comes complete with its own unique power cord connection, meaning you will need a separate cord for everything.  Obviously, this is not a convenient way to travel, weighed down with multiple cords for your so-called mobile devices. 

In a nutshell, Gomadic’s brilliant TipExchange system works because the end of every Gomadic power cord or system is designed to accept any one of thousands of tips, which can fit virtually every device or accessory.  This means you can charge all of your devices from a single (in my case, retractable) power cord.  This is a real boon when you are traveling and don’t want to carry a myriad of cords.  But what about when you are at home?

When I am at home, my devices are powered by an intricate spider web of plugs, cables, and cords, all tangled in a knot on the side of my desk, with no ends in sight.  This can make for a frustrating time when I need to power any device.  So, what can I do?  I have at least three to four or more devices and accessories that need to be charged at any time.  Each one requires its own power cord hanging down to the back of my desk.   

Well, now, Gomadic can help cure this problem as well  Earlier this month, they released the Gomadic QuadCharger, which allows you to charge any four devices at once.  Mine arrived this week and has already reformed my desk. 

The QuadCharger is a small, but stylish, black shelf which can sit on any table or desk.  In the front are four charging ports, each with a retractable cord, ready to accept a TipExchange tip and charge your device.  These cords can be pulled out or rolled away inside the unit, ensuring that you have only the length necessary to charge your device.  Goodbye excess cords tangling in a heap on my desk.

The top of the QuadCharger is covered with a rubber mat, which holds all of your devices in place.  Just plug your device into any of the four ports and set it down on the rubberized mat. In addition to protecting your devices from scratches caused by the hard plastic finish, this mat also ensures that your devices will not slide around or bump into each other.

The single power cord spools out of the back of the unit to plug into the wall or power strip.  Because it spools out of the back, you can set the length of the cord and only pull out what you need, meaning any excess is eliminated.  The head of the cord is also extremely slim, which surprised me.  I expected a fat plug in order to draw enough power to charge all of your devices at the same time.  This thin head also means it will not overlap a second outlet on your power strip, the way many power cords will.

So, now you may be asking (if you have not already figured it out) what makes this better than just running four power cords down the back of my desk to a dedicated power strip.   

First, the QuadCharger will completely eliminate the spider web of multiple tangled cords running across your desk.  Regardless of how well you initially arrange these cords, unless they are on opposite ends of the room, they will get knocked into one another, tangled, and ultimately result in the spider web effect which I described above.  The QuadCharger, on the other hand, has a single cord which powers the entire unit, meaning only one cord is running across your desk (and I placed it near an edge of the desk so the cord could just dangle straight down from the unit to the floor).  The sleek and stylish design also ensures that it will not only improve the tidiness of your desk, but will leave it looking better than ever before.

Second, the TipExchange technology means that all four device power cords are fully interchangeable, so you can charge any device in any of the cords.  No more hunting through the tangle for the correct cord, just grab the correct tip, snap it into any of the four cords and you are ready to go.

Additionally, because the Quadcharger runs directly from AC power, rather than a USB connection, it can power all of your devices without any problems, even the Dell Axim which is notoriously hard on universal chargers. 

So, what is the final verdict?  The second I opened the box, I knew my cluttered deck had met its match.  I am confident, although she did not say as such, that my wife was also thrilled to see the clutter of cables and adaptors disappearing from the top of my desk.  The Quadcharger is an extremely clean and stylish looking unit which completely eliminates the typical clutter associated with multiple devices.  I was a little concerned that the power cord would not draw enough power to adequately charge high powered devices in all four charging stations simultaneously.  This concern proved to be completely unfounded.  I put the QuadCharger to the test, filling the four ports with the Dell Axim, Sprint Mogul, Palm Treo, and Sandisk Sansa.  The QuadCharger did not even hesitate.  It charged all four devices without slowing down or experiencing any problems.  The sleek style, ease of use, and impressive performance of the QuadCharger made it almost instantly indispensable, and earned it a permanent spot on my desk.  It would be nice, however, if future versions would have a smaller footprint on my desk, or even hang on the wall.   Additionally, I would have loved a small cup, pocket or drawer in which to store the extra TipExchange tips and other smaller accessories when they were not in use.  Of course, these suggestions are all cosmetic in nature, and none of them relate to the performance of this unit. 

As a result of the Quadcharger, I will no longer have to tussle with tangled cords and power cord propriety.  Everything is neat and contained in one small corner of my desk.  Just Another Mobile Monday has not published an essential accessories or hardware list yet.  If we did, the Quadcharger would jump immediately to the top of my list.  Now, if Gomadic would only create something to get all of the papers and unused device cases off of my desk…

Name: Gomadic Quadcharger

Where To Buy: Gomadic

Price: $49.95 (marked down from $69.95) plus $5.95 for each TipExchange tip

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