WHAT IS IT: 5-port dedicated smartphone/tablet power charger
NEW, FUTURE or RETRO: new and hot
HOW GOOD IT IS: One of the things Anker excels at, as a young new company,
is thinking outside of the box and seeing solutions where no one else has even
seen the challenges yet.
Case in point, this 5 port device charger. I have a place in my house that I have designated my “charging area”. It is a section of countertop that is relatively unused, with an outlet that is rarely used, and in a convenient place to grab whatever is charging and dash out the door in the morning. Even with such ideal conditions I usually end up not charging more than 2 devices at a time. But it seems every day I am acquiring more and more things that need to be regularly charged. Let’s count: smartphone (every night); tablet (every night); pocket camera (several times a week); Bluetooth headset (several times a week); stereo Bluetooth headphones (several times a week); Bluetooth speakerphone (several times a week); and more. And that’s only me, and does not include other members of the household. Each of these devices charges optimally with certain currant parameters, so it is usually safest to use the OEM power-brick that came with the device. That ends up with a rat’s nest of cables and transformers and always forgetting what fits what.
With this 5-port wall charger I can plug it in and have up to 5 of these devices charging optimally all at once. Because I don’t own the exact brand and model names listed on the front of the charger I use my label maker to customize each port with the device I actually own (and also print the current of each port on the label). Now I just walk up, plug in the device and retrieve it later.
The charger is typical of Anker design and construction, which is to say superb. It is mostly Apple-like shiny white with a slightly matte off-white front and rear panel. It is slightly larger than a pack of king-size cigarettes. The short power cord is also white and as I have been beginning to expect from Anker, provides a satisfying degree of heavy-dutyness without being thick and cumbersome. It is also flat, which is less prone to tangle. I wouldn’t normally comment on the power plug end but I have to mention that this one is substantially engineered with a thick strain relief and an easy-to-grab molded plug itself. The “wall charger” name that Anker chose to use is a bit of a misnomer, however, as you would expect with that name for it to have a built-in wall plug. As noted, it does not, it plugs in to a power socket by way of a 2’ AC cable.
The unit is designed to sit vertically but is equally at home resting horizontally. And it is hefty for its size, wonderful so that the weight of up to 5 USB plugs don’t cause it to topple over. Thankfully there are no lights of any type, which are totally unneeded for this unit. When you plug a device in the light illuminates ON YOUR DEVICE, where it should. There is no need for any other lights to glare in your eyes.
After using it for a little while I determined that I wanted/needed two of these, one in the aforementioned “charging area” and the other in a nook in my office desk. In the desk location I no longer have to hog precious AC power plugs for any device I wish to charge while at work and more importantly, don’t have to sacrifice USB ports on my computer which are likely not matched to the power needs of my devices, especially tablets.
At the price we pay for our “toys” these days it is reassuring to use a power charger that is ideally optimized to the needs of each one. I believe the small investment for the Anker charger is well worth it.
WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE: Five optimized charging ports (note that this is NOT a USB hub, it is a dedicated power charging station). Charges multiple devices which have varying power needs.
SIMILAR TO: I have not been able to find anything similar to thisCase in point, this 5 port device charger. I have a place in my house that I have designated my “charging area”. It is a section of countertop that is relatively unused, with an outlet that is rarely used, and in a convenient place to grab whatever is charging and dash out the door in the morning. Even with such ideal conditions I usually end up not charging more than 2 devices at a time. But it seems every day I am acquiring more and more things that need to be regularly charged. Let’s count: smartphone (every night); tablet (every night); pocket camera (several times a week); Bluetooth headset (several times a week); stereo Bluetooth headphones (several times a week); Bluetooth speakerphone (several times a week); and more. And that’s only me, and does not include other members of the household. Each of these devices charges optimally with certain currant parameters, so it is usually safest to use the OEM power-brick that came with the device. That ends up with a rat’s nest of cables and transformers and always forgetting what fits what.
With this 5-port wall charger I can plug it in and have up to 5 of these devices charging optimally all at once. Because I don’t own the exact brand and model names listed on the front of the charger I use my label maker to customize each port with the device I actually own (and also print the current of each port on the label). Now I just walk up, plug in the device and retrieve it later.
The charger is typical of Anker design and construction, which is to say superb. It is mostly Apple-like shiny white with a slightly matte off-white front and rear panel. It is slightly larger than a pack of king-size cigarettes. The short power cord is also white and as I have been beginning to expect from Anker, provides a satisfying degree of heavy-dutyness without being thick and cumbersome. It is also flat, which is less prone to tangle. I wouldn’t normally comment on the power plug end but I have to mention that this one is substantially engineered with a thick strain relief and an easy-to-grab molded plug itself. The “wall charger” name that Anker chose to use is a bit of a misnomer, however, as you would expect with that name for it to have a built-in wall plug. As noted, it does not, it plugs in to a power socket by way of a 2’ AC cable.
The unit is designed to sit vertically but is equally at home resting horizontally. And it is hefty for its size, wonderful so that the weight of up to 5 USB plugs don’t cause it to topple over. Thankfully there are no lights of any type, which are totally unneeded for this unit. When you plug a device in the light illuminates ON YOUR DEVICE, where it should. There is no need for any other lights to glare in your eyes.
After using it for a little while I determined that I wanted/needed two of these, one in the aforementioned “charging area” and the other in a nook in my office desk. In the desk location I no longer have to hog precious AC power plugs for any device I wish to charge while at work and more importantly, don’t have to sacrifice USB ports on my computer which are likely not matched to the power needs of my devices, especially tablets.
 |
| Installed on shelf under my desk |
At the price we pay for our “toys” these days it is reassuring to use a power charger that is ideally optimized to the needs of each one. I believe the small investment for the Anker charger is well worth it.
WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE: Five optimized charging ports (note that this is NOT a USB hub, it is a dedicated power charging station). Charges multiple devices which have varying power needs.
DO YOU NEED IT: For home, yes, it eliminates the need for 5 different power "bricks". For travel, even more so. Carry one universal power charger rather than several OEM adapters.
HOW IT IMPACTS YOU: the days of owning nothing more than a cell phone are over. In some families you'll find a smart phone in the hands of most family members (not all having the same power needs for charging), tablets and/or eReaders are getting more common, and of course Bluetooth headsets and other accessories ... all of which need to be charged daily. It is inevitable that someone would come up with a power station to work with a variety of different devices. I think you will see more of these in the future, but this one is available now.
COMMENTS: This is something I never thought I wanted or needed until I ran across a brief mention of it a few days ago. Anker kindly forwarded a sample to me to evaluate (although I have a policy that my reviews will never be affected by how and where I obtained a product).
TECH TOY WIZARD RATING: 5/5
TECH TOY WIZARD RATING: 5/5
BUYING OPTIONS: Buy it at Amazon
SEE IT IN MOTION: No video available yet
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