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.
--
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.
Works as advertised but does not come with instructions. At first I did not realize that the adapter REQUIRES external power. There is a female micro-USB port on the side of the adapter to plug your phone's charging cable into. It wasn't until I read another reviewer's comments here that I realized my mistake. Duh!
So there are 4 connections required:
1) Adapter's micro-USB male to phone's micro-USB female
2) Phone charging cable's micro-USB male to adapter's micro-USB female (the adapter's power source)
3) Standard HDMI cable male to adapter's HDMI female
4) Other male end of standard HDMI cable to HDMI equipped display or TV
Update as of 3/2/2012: I have had this adapter for a while now with no issues. I recently saw that it now supports RCP (Remote Control Protocol), so I was interested to see how it works and ordered it. I connected it to my Samsung TV and it works perfectly. I am able to control my media files through my Samsung remote. I can fast forward, rewind, pause, and play with the remote while my phone is not near me. This is useful while listening to music because I do not need the phone near me to switch between songs or fast forward. It turns out that RCP will work with any tv that supports Anynet+. I tried it on my Dynex TV and RCP did nto work on that. I tried several other adpaters because I wanted to see what the difference was especially with some costing more and some less. I found that there were generic adapters that cost a lot less at $9.00 but they did not have the RCP function and the quality was not that good. I also tried the Skiva adapter and Samsung one. Both did not support RCP. This is a shame since you would expect that with them costing more. I tried the following and broke it down by who supports RCP:
Supports RCP:
Menotek Micro USB to HDMI MHL Adapter IMPROVED WITH RCP (Remote Control Protocol) for Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Evo 3D, HTC Evo 4G Tablet, HTC Sensation 4G, Sprint Epic 4G Touch, Galaxy Nexus
Does not support RCP:
Skiva MHL (Micro USB) to Female HDMI Adapter (1080p Supported) for Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note, Infuse 4G, HTC Evo 3D, Evo 4G, Flyer , Sensation 4G, Epic 4G Touch, Rezound, Vivid, Amaze 4G
Samsung MHL to HDMI Adapter - Data Cable - Retail Packaging for AT;T SGH-i77 ; T-Mobile SGH-T989
Micro USB to HDMI MHL Adapter Cable for HTC Evo 3D, HTC Evo 4G Tablet, HTC Sensation 4G, HTC Flyer, Samsung I997 Infuse 4G, Galaxy S2
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Original Review: I love this adapter. I plugged it into my HTC Evo and also my brother's Galaxy S2 phone and got both the show up on my TV. I love this because I have so many video and pictures of my family that I can share with people more easily than putting them on my laptop and showing them. All I did was plug in the micro usb part of the adapter into my phone and then I plugged in the Micro USB charging cable into the adapter. I bought the 6FT hdmi cable from Menotek also. Works great. I get an amazing picture quality and am very pleased. This adapter did not work without the micro usb charging cable connected to it, but I found out this is not the fault of the adapter from Menotek. This is how all of the MHL adapters work. I would definitely recomend this adapter to anyone who has a phone that supports MHL.
This USB charger is out of the way (other chargers stick way out) so that's really nice. It appears to supply enough power for more power-hungry devices (smartphones, GPS) although only one at a time. However, it did not stay seated in my lighter plug. The internal spring tended to push it slightly out so that it would stop charging. I fixed it with a little duct tape wrapped around the barrel so now it's a tight fit. (By the way, this unit fits flush, so if it is in tightly, don't plan on just popping it in and out on a daily basis.) I also find the USB connector to be a bit loose. So far it hasn't caused any problem because in my car the cable doesn't get knocked around very much. But I feel it should fit a little more tightly. Despite these fit problems I give it four stars since you can work around the problems and it's the smallest such unit and it charges power-hungry devices.
My charging adapter works and has for over 6 months now. My only complaint is that the adapter can unseat easily stopping charge without notice; however the green light does give indication as purposed. I've tried it in various vehicles (Chevy, Ford, and Toyota) with several cigarette outlets in these vehicles with the same result. I mainly use it to hook a USB cable for charging my phone or my MP3 player while traveling. It works out great as my phone is a Micro-B plug and my MP3 player is a Micro-B plug so I can easily change the type of cable without having to remove this adapter from the outlet. Overall I give it 4 stars for the quality build but I deduct one star for the looseness of the adapter in the outlet.
The is indeed an OEM Samsung Cable and wall charger. But, I now know why it's so cheap. The one I recieved was used and it's clear to me why the original user returned it, the micro USB connector will not consistantly stay connected to the phone. I mean the physical plug seems to make a clean smooth fit but the pins in the connector don't stay connected to the point that the phone does not recognize it's plugged in. My first experience was after leaving it plugged in for a few hours and returning to discover a dead phone. I know it's not the phone as the original cable that came with my Samsung Infuse 4G still works fine, I just needed an extra cable/charger for use while at work. This cable failed me as it clearly failed the original owner. The price was so low, it didn't seem reasonible to even bother the seller, cause I surely am not going to pay to ship it back.
The USB cable does not connect well enough to tether the phone or use it for transferring files to a computer indicating the cable is defective. We bought two of these and the cable has the same problem with both. If I wiggle the cable around enough I can get it to charge the phone, but I live in a remote area and must tether my computers to the phone to get online and they refuse to work for that. It looks very similar to the charger and cable that shipped with my Samsung Infuse, but the font used to print the word "Samsung" on the specifications sticker is slightly different making me think this may be a knockoff and not Samsung (unless Samsung is producing them with this difference). I have had zero problems with the cables that shipped with our phones. It may be bad luck and not a knockoff, but quite a few others here are reporting the same issues with the cable so its definitely an issue with many of these. The price is so low it might be worth taking a chance that the cable will work for tethering. And if you just need it for charging it is a good deal.
Many reviewers are warning of faulty products, and rightly so, but they should be mentioning the seller they purchased from if they want to be helpful. I'm very happy with my purchase from CCMACCESSORIES. Placed my order on a Friday and received it on the following Monday. I received a charger and 4 ft. micro usb cord. Both are HTC branded and look exactly like the ones that came with my EVO 4G. I successfully charged my phone with it for a few minutes and did not notice any grounding issues or anything like that.
Here is some info printed on the back of the charger (again, identical to the info on the one that came with my EVO 4G):
Model: TC U250
Input: 100-240V ~ 200mA 50-60Hz
Output: 5V==1.0A
Both of these plugs have a ground short. i.e. once a phone is plugged in the capacitive touch become inactive when using these chargers. I tried different wall sources, different wires, and different phones. The plug itself is creating a ground short on BOTH units I ordered.
Piece of junk. worked about three times and then quit. I had to click on 1 star in order to review this. It really doesn't deserve any.
I liked it, it's very convenient but it broke in a few weeks and this was the second one I had and the same thing happend the quality sucks
Length:: 1:35 Mins
Here's a video showing the retraction and extension of this cable, as well as a demonstration of its USB capabilities with my Motorola Droid.
The question for me was does this work on Kindle 2. YES or NO?
Answer for me is yes, at least on my equipment (nothing proprietary). Works fine for data and charging on Kindle 2. I use a lot of these retractable cables to keep my desk a bit cleaner from cable clutter and make traveling easier. This looks just like a retractable from another seller (not all) so maybe there is a factory making these for multiple companies. Because these are retractable the cable might be smaller, just be careful to pull on plug not the cable when removing.
I am very pleased with the purchase of this data cable. The plug fits my LG800g phone and the data transfer to the microSD card installed in the phone is very fast. I definitely recommend this cable.
Not many data cables are advertised to work with my LG 900g phone. This one works perfectly as a data cable and a charging cable over the computer's USB port. Data transfer seems a little slow but that may be due to the phone and not the cable itself. Very good quality cable...
This is a good cable, and it worked well. It is not a USB host mode cable (which allows you to plug in devices and have them recognized by your device), it merely converts the USB port from micro to regular size.
The item came quickly and works perfectly. I bought it to allow for data transfer from a thumb drive to my Samsung Galaxy 2 phone, and it does exactly what I wanted it to do. The adapter is slightly different than the one pictured (mine is straight, as opposed to the picture which has an "L" turn at the micro end). It doesn't change the functionality at all, and I actually prefer this version.
Great product!
I got this for use with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Verizon/LTE version) and it works great.
Well, sort of - the phone doesn't seem to recognize a USB thumb drive, but it does work with a USB mouse (and a cursor shows up - neat!) and a random USB device (based on an FDTI USB to serial adapter) we're developing at work. The phone probably lacks USB storage drivers, which is annoying.
So yeah, the adapter works well and doesn't feel too cheap or flimsy. I also like that it wasn't just bouncing around the shipping package like some cheap stuff on amazon - it was in a pretty good quality (for something you'll throw away) ziplock pouch inside the packaging.
Since it works with a few devices I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it - the lack of USB thumb drive support must be something to do with the phone. I'll look into this more and try to update when I can - I'm really interested in having full USB support on the go!
-Taylor
UPDATE: Rooted users can easily mount flash drives using the app StickMount in the market - its very clean and works well! Thanks to XDA user [esoomenona] for the suggestion. More info at:
[...]
Hi all, I purchased two of the Micro USB Host Mode OTG for my Android Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket cellphone. It allows me to plug in a USB device into the dongle and then plug the dongle into the bottom of my cell phone.
Now I can use a mouse, keyboard, card reader, and a USB flash drive (up to 64 gigs works). ONLY ONE USB DEVICE CAN BE USED AT A TIME, AS FAR AS I KNOW. I can't be happier with the item.
This item arrived from China in perfect condition and I would highly recommend purchasing one if you have a use for it.
A quick overview of this product before I get down into the details...
This product, in unaltered form, suffers from a couple problems:
1. Despite what the description says, it's designed for Apple products, not for other products like Android. I find the description quite deceptive because it will NOT deliver the current one expects for most Android devices (or the HP Touchpad as well).
2. While it claims a 2.1A port and a 1A port, implicitly suggesting 3.1A total, it can not actually deliver 3.1A no matter what device you have (including Apple). It delivers a total of 2.1A.
However, by cracking open the case and shorting the data lines, something VERY easy to do with this device if you're at all competent with a soldering iron, you get an awesome unit for Android devices, and it's THE ONLY ONE (that I've found), that will charge an HP Touchpad at full capacity (more details below).
Now to the details...
A little background on USB charging for those who don't know:
The USB power spec is for 0.5 Amps at 5 Volts... or 2.5 Watts. This was great up until the last couple years when devices have gotten really power hungry, particularly smartphones and tablets and to a lesser extent dedicated GPS's. Some of these devices use over 2 Amps, particularly the tablets like the iPad (or in my case the HP Touchpad).
Manufacturers of these devices therefore had a dilemma. If they had their devices pull more than 0.5 Amps, they risked damaging the power source, which could be a computer, that was only prepared to source 0.5 Amps. Thus the manufacturers have used tricks to determine whether their device is connected to an unknown source, at which point they purposely only draw 0.5 Amps, or to the dedicated charger that was provided with the device, where they can draw all the power they need.
There seem to be two common tricks used. The first is to short the two data-wires together in the charger. This is what most non-Apple devices do. Since a computer or older device wouldn't have done this, the device can assume it is safe to draw all the power it needs.
Apple seems to have taken a different approach, one that I don't fully understand but know can be seen by the fact that the data lines are neither open nor shorted when the charger is plugged in, and is more sophisticated and probably superior, because I suspect it allows the device to know exactly how much power it can use.
While Apple taking a better approach might be nice in concept, it's created chaos in the USB charger product category. What is the non-specific charger to do? They can't support both.
This device chose to go the Apple route for both ports. While the PowerGen unit I purchased (see below for links to the others I've purchased) had the 1 Amp port setup for Android (data lines shorted) and the 2 Amp port for Apple, this device, like the others, has both setup for Apple. I don't own any high-power Apple devices, so I can't say for sure, but I suspect this unit performs well with Apple devices out of the box.
But because I had bought 4 of these and they all had the same problem (except the PowerGen, which only had it on one port), I decided it was time to get down and dirty and see if I could open any of them up and modify them by shorting the data lines. This was the ONLY ONE that was easy to open without damaging the casing. Just unscrew the silver cap at the top and then pop off the silver plate on the bottom and it easily splits apart. Then there are two sets of 4 pins, one on either side of the circuit board that runs up the middle that are somewhat obviously the pins to the USB port. A solder blob on the middle two pins to short them together is all that is needed. It took longer for the old soldering iron to warm up than to do both sides. Reassembling took a bit of careful placement of the parts, but it wasn't too difficult and then all that's required is pushing back on the bottom plate and re-screwing in the cap. The whole operation took 5 minutes.
It bears repeating: NONE of the others were easy to get apart.
When I tested it afterwards, it performed beautifully with my android devices, just like I expected from my above explanations. I got an additional bonus that I didn't expect with the HP Touchpad that requires some additional explanation.
See, the HP Touchpad, while it's charger has the data lines shorted, also does something else. It requires a specific voltage be on the data lines. Thus it doesn't work with chargers that just have the data lines shorted, including the PowerGen mentioned in this review.
There is a way to modify a charger further to get it to work with the HP Touchpad, by adding resistors to one's charger, but frankly, that was more work than I was willing to do. However, whether it was luck or genius, the 1 Amp port on this device already has some resistive elements for the Apple charger setup, and when one shorts the data lines together, it gives the required voltage for the HP Touchpad to charge. NICE FREE BONUS!
Now, because this device can only source 2.1 Amps total, it'll be a little overpowered if you connect both the HP Touchpad (or an iPad for that matter) and a smartphone, but even when I did that, it continued to charge, just perhaps a bit more slowly than it would have if it could deliver all the current each desired.
And it bears repeating that this is THE ONLY DEVICE I am aware of that can fully charge an HP Touchpad (after modification).
Thus this device gets docked to 4 stars because it claims out of the box to support a number of Android devices that will not work as expected without modifying the device. I suspect it will work well with Apple devices including the iPad (I don't own any). It also gets dinged because of the deceptive amperage claims.
Frankly, I am a bit uncomfortable giving 4 stars for something that requires modification to meet my needs, but because all the devices I tested have the same problem it made it easier to give it a 4 considering the ease of the modification and the nice bonus of the HP Touchpad charging.
For those who don't have Apple devices, I ordered three additional devices:
- "PowerGen Dual USB 2A Heavy Duty Ouput Car Charger" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00622AG6S/ref=oh_o06_s00_i00_details)
- "Kensington K33497US PowerBolt Duo Car Charger" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003PU01M4/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details)
- XTG "Ultra Compact High Output Dual USB Car Charger" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00470C35E/ref=oh_o02_s00_i00_details)
I have written a review on each of them with more details.
I kept this one after the above modification and the PowerGen in unmodified form and returned the Kensington and the XTG.
Many good things about this little guy. That was one: it is small and unobtrusive. The next is that it can handle a running iPad AND an iPhone at the same time Lastly, it seems to be built very well. Unlike others I've bought, I'm not afraid of this one disassembling itself.
Just buy it!
The online listing labels this as a charger for the iPhone 3GS. The shippling label repeats the claim. The adapter, however, does NOT charge the iPhone 3GS. I receive "Charging is not supported with this accessory" when connecting. It is not worth your time or money to try this product. Dragon Imports is either blatantly engaging in false advertising or they are not aware of what their manufacturer is producing. This junk is going back.
When charging with this my 3GS goes nutso, the screen gets super 'jumpy' (won't scroll smoothly, acts as if its being short circuited or something) and windows open and close by themselves. My guess is somewhere between the cable and the charger its pumping either too much (most likely) or too little juice into my poor phone... Not sure if I should continue using them or not. :(
This is a generic 'Type A to Micro B' USB cable and it's in no way Blackberry specific but, YES, it WILL work with a BB Bold or Storm. I needed one of these to connect one camera to the computer because I lost the original when someone 'found' my camera case. It works.
On this specific cable, everything is done right, including the price. It is USB 2.0 certified, meaning that it supports data transfer rates of up to 480Mbps and, if your device accepts a Micro-B plug, this is the cable to get. Maybe the 2-meter length (6+ ft.) is a little bit too much but it does not bother me a lot and there may come a time when a cable this long may come in handy.
I am awarding this item 5 stars for price, quality and, especially, for the very good presentation on Amazon's page.
______________________________________________
Notes:
Anyone in the market for a USB cable should be very careful because there are at least 6 kinds of USB connectors. If you are buying a cable that connects 'something' to your computer or laptop, the computer end of the cable will always be a USB-A or 'Type A' connector. At the other end, you may have a USB-B/Type B - a nearly square shaped connector used mostly to deliver power to a device but this is rare. Most likely, you will have a Mini-B or a Micro-B. The difference between the 2 is that the Micro-B is half as thick while the width is the same - Mini-B is 3x7mm while Micro-B is 1.5x7mm.
If your device (phone, PDA, camera) is a 'new' one and it's using USB, chances are that they will need a Micro-B connector because the industry seems to be adopting the 'Micro' form factor as its standard. If the above sounds simple, you should keep in mind that some devices require Mini-AB or Micro-AB connectors, also known as USB OTG (OnTheGo) devices.
My advice: before ordering any cable, make sure that you clearly understand what type of cable you need. This Amazon listing and most Cables Unlimited listings are most helpful because the Amazon page gives you a visual of what the connectors look like. Whenever in doubt, do some more research.
A cable is a cable don't waste your money on overpriced micro usb cables elsewhere this one works great for the Droid.
This travel charger has the Motorola logo on it and was specifically made for Motorola smart phones. It appears to be identical to the charger that was bundled with my Motorola Droid X. It's rated to work with 120/240 volts 50/60 Hz. With adapter plugs I can use this device to charge my phone using virtually any electrical outlet in the world. The included detachable USB cable is also handy to tether my phone to the USB port on my computer for data transfer. This charger will also power any USB device that requires up to 850mA. The 2.3 ounce weight for both the charger and the cable is no burden to carry. I keep them in my computer bag and believe that if I use an authentic Motorola accessory that is made for my phone there is less risk of damage.
This charger has a micro USB connector that will connect to a wide range of smart phones. I have a Samsung Focus. The charger fit perfectly. More and more phones use this type of connector. If the connector fits into the phone, then the charger will charge it. USB wiring is standardized so that concern about the right charger isn't an issue.
One nice feature of this charger is that the USB cord detaches from the power supply and can be plugged into a USB port on your computer. That means this device will also serve as a cable to get updates from your computer.
It's a good deal and it works!
There are so many sketchy sellers selling phone chargers out there, that it can be a bit scary. The problem is that if the charger is poorly made, the output of the charger can be out of spec and can, in some cases, fry the phone you connect to it.
For that reason, when it comes to phone chargers, you should stick to name brands. (They are all made in China, but the name brand ones are usually subject to stricter QA).
When I found this charger on Amazon, SOLD BY AMAZON, I jumped on it. It's a MICRO USB car charger, made for Motorola and sold under the Motorola name, in retail packaging. The rated output is 4.75-5.25V and 950mA.
This charger should work fine with most any phone that uses the MICRO USB connector. The key number to pay attention to is the second one, the rated amperage. This is the MAXIMUM amount of current that the phone can request from the charger. A typical USB port on a PC provides as little as 100mA, and few provide more than 500mA. So this charger should charge your phone faster than when it's connected to a PC. A few phones out now can use up to 1000mA. But that just means they CAN use that amount. If 950mA is provided, they'll still charge, just a bit more slowly.
Note that the amperage (second number) merely tells you how much the charger CAN supply, if requested. The phone itself is responsible for asking for the current. That is to say, if this charger can provide 950mA, but your phone can only use 300mA--no problem. Your phone asks for 300mA and the charger provides all of what is requested. If, on the other hand, your phone can use 1000mA, this charger will provide all it can, which is 950mA--a wee bit less than the max asked for. That's also not a problem; it just means your phone will charge a little bit (not much in this case) more slowly. The rated voltage for this charger is presented in a range of 4.75-5.25V. The "ideal" voltage for a USB charger of any type if 5V. And most chargers for home use are rated right at 5V. But car chargers work in a noisier environment and thus you have the range. This is where a cheapo charger can really do damage, as some of them are poorly regulated and can provide voltages that are WAY out of spec. Again, when you can get a name brand charger from a seller you can trust (Amazon) for such a reasonable price, it's very foolish to consider the cheapo no-names.
This is an excellent quality name brand travel micro USB charger at a price that beats the no-name junk from third party sellers. What's not to like?
BE SURE TO ORDER IT FROM AMAZON AND NOT ONE OF THE THIRD PARTY SELLERS, as some of those have been known to make mistakes with respect to what they ship relative to the listing. I can confirm that Amazon is shipping the P513 /89143N charger, as pictured.
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The version of this charger shipped to me is a knock-off. There is no Motorola sticker, the micro-USB connector end is a snap-together part, rather than overmolded like the real version. The PVC cable overmold is mis-shaped, the contact springs are weak and the fit and finish of the plastic parts are low quality. So, it is just a car charger, right? Maybe. But what if the electronics are sub-standard also? What if the PVC overmold is contaminated as well? I am going to return this item and not plug it into Wife's phone.
These chargers do not short the D+/D- signal lines to tell the device being powered that they are chargers rather than data connections, so a modern device like an iPhone or Android phone will not take the full available current from the device. So they are limited to 500mA rather than 900mA so they power but will not simultaneously charge a modern smart phone.
From the Wikipedia page for USB: "The Dedicated Charging Port shorts the D+ and D- pins with a resistance of at most 200 '. The short disables data transfer, but allows devices to detect the Dedicated Charging Port and allows very simple, high current chargers to be manufactured."
When I power a Samsung Galaxy S phone with this it sees it as a data port and offers to connect as a mass storage or media device, as expected for an incorrectly wired charger.
This USB charger works well, has a small orange light to let you know its plugged in. I was hoping for this to be flush with my car dash, but it sticks out half an inch or so. This is as small as cigarette lighter adapters come, so I can't complain.
