This is a great dual port car charger.
Unlike a lot of dual USB chargers out there, it puts out a good 5v 2A current out of the top jack, and an above average 5v 1A current out of the bottom jack.
If you use a car dock (especially the Google/HTC Nexus One Car Dock) you can charge your phone and run your dock with a regular high quality Micro USB 2 cable. This saves a lot of headache if you are using a single Car DC jack for multiple devices. So, you can run a GPS Android Phone Dock, along with a standard iPod/iPhone USB 2 cable with no extra adapters or dongles. Mega space savings and clutter prevention.
The charger juts out about 1 1/2 inches from your standard sized DC jack surface. I can see why they needed to do this versus making it more flush to the car panel. The thing gets warm with full load and needs the extra space. I believe they made the Powerbolt Duo as small as they could for the price.
Speaking of price, this adapter uses high quality plastics and seems more expensive than its MSRP price. Although the metal contact pieces are not of a high conductivity metal, I expect that it would not corrode even with the occasional car style beverage spills and drips. The 30-pin Dock cable that comes with the unit is the standard Kensington iPod cable quality. The cable itself is flimsier, but it's reinforced where it counts. Apple cables usually become separated where the cable jacket meets the connector. The included Kensington cable will probably last a few months longer with heavy use because of its reinforced areas.
Here are my experiences:
2A Jack:
Fast Charge Barnes ; Noble Nook
Fast Charge Nexus One (and probably all HTC devices)
Fast Charge and safely run Nexus One Car Dock using standard HTC or other premium Micro USB 2 cable
Fast Charge iPhone 4
Fast Charge iPad
Standard Charge iPhone/iPod (all)
1A Jack
Standard charge all devices, but not enough current to fast charge or run dock + phone combo by itself.
The only way this could be better if it were smaller, and both ports were 2A.
I highly recommend this adapter to all roadwarriors and mobile device users!
UPDATE August 2011:
I am updating this review to give you an idea of the adapter longevity. I originally wrote this review in late 2010. It is now late-mid 2011 and the adapter is still running well. It has survived a soda spill with subsequent alcohol bath to clean it.
The Kensington 30-pin dock that I used it with has continued to serve its purpose well, unlike it's mate, an OEM (you know the fruit) cable that broke within 3 months.
I reiterate my positive review and I highly suggest purchasing this adapter.
New items tested working well with Adapter:
-Motorola Atrix Car Dock (2.1A ; 1A)
-HP TouchPad (2.1A ; 1A)
I second the other five-star reviews. This device outputs the power it states from both ports, and, consequently, can charge anything up to and including the iPad and iPad 2. It also runs cool even under load; it's a very well-engineered piece of gear.
Critically for Ford owners and other car owners whose cigarette lighter jacks are powered even when the ignition is off, this device has VERY low standby power draw. While this is not listed in the specs on the box, I asked Kensington tech support for the draw when the charger is plugged in but nothing is charging from either of the USB ports. The response: "We are sorry for the delay in the responce. We would like to inform you that the product(K33497US) draws approxmitely 5mA in stand by mode."
(I had another iPad charger that would drain my car battery in a few days when left plugged in but with nothing charging. The Kensington seems not to have the same problem.)
In short, of all the high-powered car chargers out there for iPads and similar devices, this is the one to get.
Kensington makes excellent products. This Powerbolt Duo car charger is no exception. This Kensington car charger is good for charging the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle Fire, and it comes with a micro USB cable for the Fire, but it costs $30.
The Kindle Fire requires an electrical charging current of 1.8 A (1800 mA), so only chargers meeting current output of more than 1.8 A can charge it in reasonable amount of time. Many chargers on the market have output current of 2.1A. Make sure you see this specification on the product page. Kensington, Skiva, and Scosche all make car chargers that meet the 2.1 A requirement but are much more expensive.
The least expensive is by AmazonBasics, under $10.
AmazonBasics 2-Port USB Car Charger with 2.1 Amp Output (Black)
You also need a micro USB cable:
AmazonBasics USB Cable - 2.0 A Male to Micro B (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters), $6
This is the kind of cable (USB 2.0 on one end and micro USB on the other) that some reviewers were saying that Amazon should have included in the Fire box. It can be used for copying files from your computer to the Fire and vice versa.
This charger has two USB ports that share the 2100 mA output, so if you want fast charging, use just one port to charge the Fire/iPad, and leave the other not used by anything else.
This combo costs $16, about half the cost of the Kensignton.
I would only recommend the Kensington if you want to charge the Fire or iPad AND another USB device that consumes less than 1.0 A SIMULTANEOUSLY and don't want to sacrifice charging time. Physically, the Kensington is smaller and also well-made.
I was looking for options to charge my Kindle Fire on the go, and this seemed like it would do the job, nicely configured wth two USB ports, one for the 2.1 amp charging requirement for the Kindle, and a 1 amp port for my smartphone. It arrived quickly, but came packaged in a padded mailer with the actual product in a nondescript plastic bag. The charger does operate as described, however it is very cheaply made and the supplied adapter cord is not very flexible and a bit on the short side. It also doesn't look anything like the unit pictured on the product page, it has a different shape and profile than the one shown. For $30 I'm thinking I could have done a lot better. I may check out what they have at Radio Shack and return this. Not worth the money in my opinion. BTW, I looked into the Amazon Basics charger and adapter cord recommended by the other reviewer, but it appears larger and bulkier than the Kensington charger I purchased....a problem for me because it would protrude far enough to interfere with the shifter in my car. May work better for you, and it is half the price of this one.
I ordered these cables on Amazon after pricing them all over the web. They arrived in just over four days, well in advance of the estimated delivery date. The cables are Samsung OEM stock, exactly as advertised. Data transfer and charging works just fine on my Samsung Vibrant.
From one of the posted reviews I knew the cable would be considerably shorter than the cable that came with my cell phone, and it is. I measured it at 30" which is actually quite shorter than you might think. Consider where you will be charging your phone from, or where you'll need to place your phone in relation to your computer or DC plug in your car and make sure 30" is enough. But for $1.29, you can't beat it.
One very positive note. The cable was priced at $1.29, with shipping stated to be $3.98. I bought four cables but was not charged $3.98 shipping for each cable. Instead, I was charged $7.96, which would be for two cables. I'm sure weight had something to do with it. Place the items in your cart and carefully view the shipping charges before placing the order.
I wanted to have a second sync and charging cable at my office so I don't have to carry one around. This cable is packed with a Samsung label so it's not a no-name product.
It's half as long as the cable that came with my phone. That's great. The original one is too big to carry around and there is less clutter on my desktop from excess wire.
It's less stiff than the original -- again, better for transporting.
It does both sync and charging for my Samsung Focus Windows Phone 7.
The price was fair and I like all of its qualities.
This charger does not work with he iphone4, ipod and neither the ipad. I threw it into the garbage bin and won't even bother returning it. This seller is on my black list. I call this unethical business behavior with false advertising! The first time ever that I write such a bad review, after many many purchases via Amazon.
Buyer beware - this item does NOT charge the iPhone 4S. I've tried with many outlets and have narrowed the problem down to the device. What's worse is I ordered two - neither is functional. When I plug this into my iPhone 4S I hear the sync/charge noise. I see a charging icon on the battery; however, all it does is hold the battery percentage steady. It does not charge the device. I decided to cough up the $29 to Apple for an extra authentic wall charger.
The new design for a Blackberry charger is small and it looks pretty but it has one notable design/functional flaw which should be considered when shopping for an additional Blackberry (or generic) USB charger.
Briefly, the slot where the USB cable plugs in is on the side rather than on top - like the official Kindle USB charger - or in front. Therefore, if you want to plug it into a power strip it's mandatory that it's plugged on the last outlet, either on the left or on the right of the strip because there would be no room for the USB cable otherwise. Another issue - don't know if it's a problem - is that the plug is not grounded (2-pronged plug) but the makers of Blackberry apparently have concluded that this should be okay and my Blackberries survived so far.
Anyone who can live with the above should find the adapter as good as any other USB charger. Here are its good features, besides 'pretty':
- Small - up until recently, chargers used to be extra-wide and sometimes prevented the use of outlets to their left or right on a power strip. This one is the right size, for as long as it's the last one on the left or on the right.
- Generic (universal) - it can be used to charge just about any Blackberry and many other gadgets that charge through a MicroUSB port (or a Mini USB if you supply the cable) - Besides the Blackberry Torch, I am using it with a Kindle and a couple of Bluetooth headsets and MP3 players. Note that the reverse is also true. I am routinely charging my Blackberries (currently have a Bold and a Torch) off the Kindle charger and everything else can be charged with the Bold's 'old school' big charger.
- Modular - like Kindle's charger, this one will work with any Type A male to Micro-B or Mini USB male cable so, if the original cable stops working or is lost, any USB cable replacement will do.
- Inexpensive - for a 'branded' charger. There are lots of one-dollar generic USB chargers around but you always take a gamble with those and Kindle's own is a little more expensive.
To conclude, if one concern is 'power strip clutter' and price doesn't matter, the best USB charger is Kindle's. If price and quality are the main concerns, this may very well be 'the one' to get. Or, if you have some older charger lying around and you don't mind 'older' you may not need this at all.
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Brush your teeth, it's the law! <<
the charge brick is what i expected it to be. the only problem is is that the usb cable is alot shorter than what i expected it to be. i also expected it to be a blackberry cable but it wasn't.
