Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, we own dozens of micro-USB cables, but we don’t always have one with us when we need to charge up smartphones, cameras, e-readers and countless other devices. That’s why we’re happy to get behind this wallet-sized cable, coined ChargeCard. We had a chance to check out the Apple dock connector flavor in March, and now the Kickstarter-backed company is shipping its micro-USB version, supporting power and data transfer with just about any USB-equipped gadget. Micro-USB seems to be the accepted standard these days, so the $25 ChargeCard is a reasonable investment. It is indeed thin and light enough to fit comfortably in your wallet, but it will add some heft, and may be an unwelcome addition to already packed vessels.

The device includes a fixed micro-USB connector and a pop-out flexible cable to plug into your computer or another power source. Unfortunately, the cable is not designed to be reversed, so depending on how it fits into your smartphone, the handset may need to face down. We experienced this issue with a MacBook Air and Samsung Galaxy Note II — you can force the flexible cable to twist into the necessary position, but it appears to cause quite a bit of tension, and our ChargeCard was visibly damaged after just a few minutes of use. Otherwise, our quick test went off without a hitch, and you shouldn’t expect to run into any problems, assuming your smartphone’s orientation is a non-issue. The card has already begun shipping — if you backed the project on Kickstarter, expect your ChargeCard to arrive this week. If you haven’t placed a pre-order, you can pick one up at the source link below.

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: ChargeCard, ChargeCard (Kickstarter)

Perhaps we all bemoaned the death of the 30-pin dock connector accessories a little prematurely. Apple may be moving away from the technology in a huge way, but it seems the category’s got a little juice left in her after all. On the back of a successful Kickstarter campaign last summer (raising a bit more than three times its proposed $50,000), the duo behind ChargeCard took their iPhone charger on the road to Las Vegas in January. Roughly half a year after hitting its goal, the product has finally started shipping, with one of the units making its way to our desk just this week.

The ChargeCard’s clever in its simplicity, a credit card-sized device made from ABS (think: Lego) plastic. A little rubberized arm lives in the center of the thing, unfolding and plugging into a USB port. One edge of the card, meanwhile, fits into your iPhone’s port (assuming, of course, that you’re not one of those fancy pants iPhone 5 owners, you big shot, you). And, well, that’s pretty much all there is to the thing.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Source: ChargeCard

Back in July, we reported on the ChargeCard Kickstarter project which essentially lets you connect your iPhone to your computer via charger that’s about the size of a credit card. This is highly convenient due to its shape and size that basically allowed users to slip the charger into their wallet and bring it with them wherever they go. Unfortunately its limitation was the fact that it was designed only for iOS devices in mind as it utilized the 30-pin dock connector. Well the good news for non-iOS users out there is that the folks behind the original ChargeCard are back with a new Kickstarter project, this time for a ChargeCard with a micro USB that will charge Android and Blackberry devices (just to name a few). The rest of its features remains the same as its iOS counterpart. The project has long since surpassed its goal of $50,000 with 11 days to go, so if you’d like to get your hands on the micro USB version of the ChargeCard, head on over to its Kickstarter page for the details.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: ChargeCard – a portable charger for your iPhone, HiddenRadio Kickstarter project now shipping, pre-orders for the next batch being taken,

Earlier today we wrote about the POP – a portable charger that lets you charge up to 10 iPhones on a single charge. While it is useful, it’s not exactly something that you can bring with you everywhere you go. What if you wanted something more portable and convenient, something along the lines of the ClearShot tripod for the iPhone? Well, here’s where ChargeCard comes in. While it’s not going to charge your iPhone without a power source, it is a “charging cable” that you can easily bring with you everywhere you go.
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