The smart folks at Mobility Electronics (who make the awesome iGo chargers) are about to remove one more charger from your bag!

The recently released iGo tip A125 plugs directly onto the back of the Jawbone headset allowing you to charge it, while charging all your other gadgets at the same time.

It’ll cost you $12.99, but being able to leave yet another charger at home is priceless.

Product page: iGo tip A125

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Today I’m going to review three different products, which are part of the newest lineup of iPod accessories from Griffin technology.

RoadTrip with SmartScan	iTrip Auto with SmartScan	TuneFlex AUX

RoadTrip with SmartScan

The Griffin Technology RoadTrip with SmartScan is an iPod dock for your car. It plugs directly into the DC outlet and extends about 5 inches on a flexible arm. At the end of the arm is the iPod dock.

Adapters are included for any iPod with a dock connector, from the 30Gb to the current 160Gb Classic, and even the 3rd generation Nano and the iPod Touch. The iPhone is not officially supported (when you plug one in it’ll warn you that the accessory is not supported) but in my experience it works just fine, as long as you put the iPhone in flight mode (to reduce interference from the cell signal inside your iPhone).

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It’s like Woot reads my blog. Yesterday I posted about a Home Depot clearance of Black and Decker power packs. And 12 hours later Woot is selling them in their wacky April Fools sale.

Don’t pay attention to the "sold out" banner on the Woot site, they are selling new batches every 20 minutes…

This is the 20 watt version. It has an integrated battery pack, AC outlet and a USB charging port. It’ll deliver enough power for a couple of mobile phone, PDA or iPod recharges but not enough juice to power your notebook.

At $14.99 (per 2)+ $5 shipping it’s not as cheap as the $5 deal at Home Depot, but still quite affordable.

Purchase link: Woot!

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I’m a guy, so once a week I can be found buying stuff at Home Depot for things back home I think need fixing. When trolling the aisles I came across a gadget I want to share with you.

The Black and Decker “Power To Go” adapter is a self contained DC to AC inverter with a USB charging port.

In plain English, this means it’s a box with a battery pack and can output AC power and USB charging power. This means you can bring it along on your trips (it only weighs 5.9oz) and always have access to power for your mobile phone, iPod or PDA.

If you can’t charge the device through USB, you can use the AC adapter included with your device.

The best part? Home Depot has them on nationwide clearance for….$2! This 10 watt version is called the CPI10B, but they also carry a 20 watt version (CPI20B) and a 100 watt unit (the CPI100B). The 20 watt and 100 watt units are just $5! All of them come complete with an AC charger and nice carrying bag. Sadly Black and Decker didn’t include a DC (car) charging cord). They are made by Vector Products, who have been making AC/DC chargers and inverters for years.

Needless to say that I picked up a couple of these, and since I’m such a big spender, I picked up a couple of extra 10 watt units for my loyal readers!

If you think these portable chargers could make your life a little easier, just leave a comment under this post and I’ll randomly pick 4 lucky readers. I’ll even ship them for free to you (US only please!). I’ll contact the winners by email to get a shipping address.

Sorry, they are all taken. Those that left a comment will get an email from me for their contact info! Thanks for playing!

If you don’t win, and would still like to get your hands on one, check out your local Home Depot.

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Regular readers will know that an iGo charger has been part of my travel kit for several years. So when I got the chance to test their most recent power adapter I couldn’t resist. And boy was I impressed.

For those that are not familiar with the iGo everywhere chargers I’ll let iGo explain what they do:

The iGo everywhere85 and the included iGo dualpower accessory provide an all-in-one power solution for your mobile gear from any power source - auto, air or standard wall outlets.

Puts simply; the iGo charger replaces your current power adapters and can charge your laptop and other devices using AC, auto or air power outlets.

The connection between the iGo unit and your device is of course different for every device, so iGo produce "tips". These "tips" are interchangeable power plugs that make the correct connection and instruct the charger to provide the correct voltage. There are 2 kinds of tips; Power Tips and Notebook Tips.

Each iGo charger comes with a selection of Notebook tips for most major notebook brands. Power Tips are sold separately and cost between $9.99 and $12.99. These power tips are available for almost every mobile device you can think of. Tips are made for phones, PDA’s, GPS units, MP3/video players, Bluetooth headsets and even portable gaming devices.

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Kudos to Belkin - part surge protector, part 2 port USB charger; this is one of the smartest things I’ve seen in ages. Perfect for folks on the road.

Of course, you’ll need a free outlet and possibly even an extension cord since many hotels make it as hard as possible to get to "their" power.

It’ll cost $24.99 and should be available soon.

Product link: Belkin

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I’m obsessed with chargers and products to help power my gadgets. In my quest to find the "perfect" charger, I came across the Chargepod.

It isn’t often that something as simple as a charger gets me excited, but when you read my (mini) review, you’ll see why I feel this product can really change what you travel with.

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2 years ago, Apple introduced their revolutionary Magsafe connector. It’s a Laptop power plug which attaches to the machine and stays in place thanks to magnets (Apple claims people often broke their laptops when they pulled too hard on the power cord).

Of course, with a proprietary connector comes the usual headache of waiting for third party companies to update their production lines, and make cheaper versions of the Apple originals. Not so with the Magsafe. Apple thinks this thing is so special, that they don’t want to share it with the other children.

Last year iGo announced their new Magsafe tip, to fit their universal chargers. It would have been a great enhancement for Apple users on the road.

But it turns out that Apple doesn’t like others making products their customers could actually use, so iGo had to cease development it.

Clearly Apple only wants people buying their Magsafe aircraft power cable, which conveniently costs a whopping $50 (most iGo tips are $10).

On their website, iGo asks that you contact Apple, and ask them to consider a Magsafe licensing program.

Source: iGo site

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If you’ve got a universal power supply (like an iGo Juice) you will no doubt have several unused power tips. So why not head over to this thread on Flyertalk and post what you have to offer (or are looking for).

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During the past 50 years we have put a man on the moon, we turned sand into something that forms the heart of your computer and we have turned the Internet from a defense network into what is undoubtedly the most important business tool ever.

What we have not managed to do however, is make a battery that can power a normal laptop for more than 5 or 6 hours. The average notebook is 3000 times more powerful than the first one, but the battery still only lasts 1 hour longer. Moore’s law clearly doesn’t apply to battery life…

Sadly the future depicted by Doc Brown in the back of his DeLorean has not come true yet, so we still depend on old fashioned stored energy to power our products. This is where I will try and help you out.

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