It would certainly be more convenient if all the gadgets in our lives were able to use the same kind of charger. Unfortunately, your iPod does not use the same kind of connection as your Samsung cell phone or your Garmin GPS navigation system. This can be a real pain and it can result in a lot of clutter. That’s where the Callpod Chargepod comes in.
The Chargepod multi-port charger from Callpod is a lot more efficient, because it will only take up one of your wall outlets while being able to charge up to six devices at the same time. This saves space and saves you from a fair bit of headache.
Why Would You Want a Chargepod?
I think I know what you’re thinking, because it’s the same thought that popped in my mind when I first saw the Callpod Chargepod. Wouldn’t I be able to achieve fundamentally the same thing with any old generic power bar? Cheaper still, couldn’t I go to the dollar store and pick up one of those splitters that fits into a wall outlet?
That may be true, but taking that route would still result in a lot of power cords getting tangled in every which direction. By contrast, the Chargepod makes use of some very short adapters. All of your portable devices, whether they be MP3 players or smartphones, can be kept nice and tidy.
The Basic Configuration (and All the Adapters)
Unless you are absolutely geek to the extreme, you probably don’t have the need to invest in every power tip in the world. Unlike the Ecosol Powerstick, the Chargepod does not come with a huge abundance of power adapters. You buy these separately. The Chargepod Base carries a suggested retail price of $39.95 and this gets you the central hub and the adapter to plug the thing into the wall. From there, you can pick up the device adapters for $9.95 a piece. In this way, they don’t charge you (no pun intended) for a power adapter that you don’t need.
Naturally, there are both pros and cons to this approach. You can save some money by not “buying” the parts that you don’t need. This is good for the environment too, because it means that there are no wasted components. On the flip side, it can be frustrating when you start adding up all the additional cost for each tip. Also, this is bad for the environment due to all the extra packaging and shipping involved.
There is one major alternative offered by Callpod though. They have something called the Chargepod Bundle Pack for $79.95. This includes the base, a car charger, and six device adapters. The downside is that you don’t get to pick which tips you get, so you’ll probably end up with some you don’t need.
And despite its outward appearance, the Chargepod cannot double as an oil cap for your Civic.
Keeping the Clutter to a Minimum
The Callpod works as a central seven-sided hub. From one of these ports, the only one that is a different size, you attach the AC wall adapter. The other six sides each have a port into which you can insert your chosen device adapter. These adapters only measure a few inches long, so you are able to keep the clutter down to a minimum. It also means that you won’t end up tangling all of power cords as you normally would.
The exception to this is when you use the adapter that provides a full-sized USB port. This is when you may have a less conventional device or one that Callpod does not support but you have the USB cable for the device. Even so, this is still reasonably tidy.
Look At the Pretty Lights
While the heptagonal Chargepod won’t be able to tell you when your iPhone 3G or Edge has finished charging (you’ll have to glance at the device itself to know that), it does tell if everything is working the way that it should. The single green light indicates a connection to a power source (the wall outlet) and then each of the blue lights shows if the corresponding adapter has been connected properly. For better or for worse, the blue LEDs light up whether there is an actual device attached or not. If there’s a device adapter in there, the light turns on.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
The Chargepod by Callpod is designed to charge up to six of your portable devices from a single wall outlet, helping you to reduce the clutter and simplify your charging needs. The short device adapters and the heptagonal design keep everything pretty tidy.
While power strips can typically take up a lot of rom, the Chargepod is quite compact and packs enough of a punch to charge your iPhone, BlackBerry, and Zune (as well as three more devices) at the same time. It’s not able to charge larger devices, like a notebook or netbook, but the related Chargepod V2 can do that.
The biggest hurdle would have to be the price. The base unit is $40, each adapter is $10, and the bundle is $80. This is a little more expensive than getting replacement wall chargers, but you are paying for the convenience of having a central hub.
Pros
- Good build quality and design
- Keeps the clutter under control
- Versatile heptagonal configuration
- Handy carrying pouch is great for travel
Cons
- Need to buy each device adapter separately
- Slightly pricier than it should be
- Chargepod Base does not come with 12V car adapter
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
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Callpod Chargepod Multi-Port Charger Photo Gallery
