Comments on: Reader inspired charging station

By: david

david — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 06:14:43 +0000

@ Ryan:
Gawd I can’t wait for wireless power.

Here we call it rechargeable batteries.

By: Joe

Joe — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:52:39 +0000

Most gadgets don’t require 240v. More like 5 or 6 which would be transmitted using induction.

The concept has already been built into tables and such, but requires a charging antenna and magnet setup to be built into the device as well.

Don’t hold your breath. It will be a while before we see this.

An even better solution would be to have houses wired with two types of outlets. One for the normal 120/110v AC and one with 12v DC. Then the house could have a single low-loss transformer and we wouldn’t have to rely upon all those transformer bricks to power or charge our devices.

By: Julian

Julian — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 02:03:37 +0000

Hmm, wireless power, wouldn’t that cause cancer?

I don’t think the idea of transmitting 240v of electricity over the air is very appealing, even if it does mean no more cable clutter

By: mrsclean

mrsclean — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:52:48 +0000

The EZmount cell phone charging station, was just what I was looking for. I purchased 1 for each of our kids rooms and 1 for the kitchen. Finally no more messy cords, and the built in key hook is a great feature. I purchased this online at http://www.cpdocks.com. I plan on purchasing more for Christmas gifts.

By: gadgetmom

gadgetmom — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:14:16 +0000

I bought a simple charging station a week ago and couldn’t be without it anymore. Look at http://www.cpdocks.com. It works like a charm and even has a built-in key hook for your car keys. Now I have a place to put my phone, it doesn’t take up counter space because it’s part of a wallplate, and I never leave home with a cell phone that has a low battery anymore. Has anyone else bought or seen this?

By: keane

keane — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:17:46 +0000

i dont like cables in general. im waiting for the day when wireless charging becomes a reality for consumers.

in the mean time, there has to be a way to go even more simplistic and minimalist than even this…i can just feel it.

By: Martin

Martin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:11:43 +0000

Mike: While it’s important to save energy, unplugging chargers has a negligible effect:
http://www.inference.phy.cam.a.....e/charger/

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:52:52 +0000

There are commercial versions of this as well. I own the following Brookstone product and like it very much. http://www.brookstone.com/store/product.asp?product_code=543447&cm_ven=Search&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Bidword&cm_ite=charging%20station&gclid=CMbwpqjsyo4CFQUoZAodKnHbww

By: Debra

Debra — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:37:55 +0000

Actually, the Martha Stewart idea was different - she suggested using this insulation material to stuff extension cords inside for storage. Here's the link: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.0e0eb51a2e6b5ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=4a47d0f19132f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=power%20cords&rsc=ns2006_m12

By: Nejc (Geek Novice)

Nejc (Geek Novice) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 18:24:08 +0000

Hello, Sophie.

Glad you like it. Those power adapters are at least a feet away (below the stereo). They are hiden behind a book closet (behind books) so they don’t have anything to do with the foam.

By: Sophie

Sophie — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:42:40 +0000

Nice job. I’m a little worried though; could that make a fire hazard? Those adapters get pretty warm sometimes. Combine that with the flammable material… I don’t know.

By: stephanie

stephanie — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:33:09 +0000

Morfydd:
I hope you are still reading the comments! If you are, how did you use it to organize your makeup? I use mineral makeup and the containers are cute but kind of annoying to deal with.

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 21:52:08 +0000

Wow. I love it! Trying to figure out how much I have that needs to be recharged…and the PDA has to be connected to the computer too. But on the bright side, I’m sure this lil’ dude is portable.

Thanks for sharing.

By: Jon King

Jon King — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:18:27 +0000

I admire the attempt. As a person who has designed offices for the last 20 years, I can tell you the “data & power” is a detail that so often get overlooked but so often ends up creating issues. One of which is code compliance, especially in California, New York & Chicago. For me, the cords travel almost as much as the technology. We need to come up with attrative cords or reasonable ways to “wrap” them (small, fast, attractive).

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:01:35 +0000

Gawd I can’t wait for wireless power.

By: Morfydd

Morfydd — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:01:08 +0000

(headdesk) I just bought that stuff to organize my makeup - I have a lot of little circular tins of mineral makeup.

Now I know what to do with the rest! Thank you!

By: Anne

Anne — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 18:49:31 +0000

The only things I need to charge regularly are my iPod and my Blackberry Pearl. I kind of feel like this is putting a band-aid on a bigger clutter boo-boo. Unless you’re charging a family’s worth of devices, the easier solution is to pare down.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 18:00:20 +0000

One tip: All those AC adapters are consuming some energy while they’re plugged in, even when not charging the device (feel them, they’ll be warm to the touch). I recommend putting them on a power strip that can be flicked off when you’re not charging anything.

By: k8

k8 — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:25:09 +0000

i’m not sure if he thought of this all on his own…
take a look at martha stewart - i think it’s in her simple home solutions book. she features this same clutter solution as well, in 2004.