Gomadic QuadCharge reviewed, better than sliced bread

by Sean Cooper, posted Nov 9th 2007 at 9:01AM

Every so often you get to play with a device you haven't used before and suddenly wonder how you ever got by before you had one. The QuadCharge from Gomadic is such a creature and after our extended play date with it -- by play, of course we mean left in place charging stuff -- we can't live without. Click on through the continue link for our thoughts and more pics.

Gallery: Gomadic QuadCharge reviewed, better than sliced bread

Anybody with a few handsets kicking about -- or iPods, PSPs and such -- realizes the hassle of plugging all your kit in when charging time comes to call. Gomadic has answered the call of the charging challenged with a pretty ingenious solution, the QuadCharge. Featuring four spots to plug in your precious friends -- and it'll accept almost any device you can dream up -- on a lightweight and lovely platform. The magic lies in Gomadic's power system which will work using 100-250 volts - or just about anywhere -- and outputs at 5.0 volts DC, with any other adjustment being made by the tip itself. We've not counted just how many tips are available, but it must be close to a hundred.

We managed to stuff an iPhone, aging O2 Xda Trion, Sony Ericsson Z710i, and BlackBerry onto the padded stand with no space issues. Devices charged in typical fashion, but without the clutter that four devices, their cables, and extension cords would normally cause. All the charging cables can be pulled out to adjust for the charging ports on various devices and the single cable that goes to the wall outlet is also adjustable.

This picture demonstrates one of the things we loved most about the space saving, clutter removing platform: all that charging accomplished and the outlet still had a spare plug. The QuadCharge comes with a lifetime warranty and will only wring your wallet for $49.95 plus whatever TipExchange tips you grab at $5.95 each. If you're looking for gift ideas, there's never been a better present for the gadget inclined

Filed under: Peripherals, Reviews, Others

Tags: charger, chargers, charging station, ChargingStation, features, Gomadic, QuadCharge

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Highly Ranked

Rod Schecter @ Nov 9th 2007 10:25AM

Hey Sean,

Thanks for the positive review; we're so happy you like the product. Actually everything out there is really just a power strip in a box so we tried to create a different kind of advantage: As you might know we just posted a nice demonstration of this with Brookstone's Charging Valet at the blog (http://blog.gomadic.com/) if anyone's interested.

Thanks again . . . we're really excited about the QuadCharge and hope your readers are too..

Neutral

JL @ Nov 9th 2007 11:25AM

I would pick one up if I could get this and the four charging ends I need all for 50 bucks. 74+tax and/or shipping seems a little much for me.

Neutral

Ladybug @ Nov 20th 2007 9:54AM

I agree - with four in the family, all with cell phones, MP3 players, PDA's, video games, etc. I would need at least three plus who knows how many tips. This the cost is prohibitive.

Neutral

Randy @ Nov 9th 2007 12:09PM

This looks neat! Is there a "drawer" on the station to store the tips? That would be helpful so they don't get misplaced.

Neutral

rick @ Nov 9th 2007 12:17PM

I use this one...

http://www.beyondbluwireless.com/proddetail.php?prod=MR_Family

It only charges 3 things but it's a little cheaper. Plus you don't have to buy the special plugs.

Neutral

Jay K @ Nov 9th 2007 2:08PM

Very cool. I've seen others, but this is the best looking system I've seen. I'll be gifting myself with one this year!

Neutral

NuShrike @ Nov 9th 2007 4:53PM

I prefer the iGo http://www.igo.com/home.asp system because it gives me more tip options, used to hook up with a huge Valence external laptop battery, takes less space, and has more charging options for home, laptop, and on the go (car, airplane).

And I stringently try to reduce the amount of devices (laptop, phone/pda, DS).

Neutral

tony valentine @ Nov 11th 2007 3:06AM

I ordered this when it first came out back in August and it looks great on my dresser. It replaced a ugly power strip that had six power cords attached to it and it was always getting in my wifes way. I have tips for my wife's treo, a sprint mogul (work phone), a blackberry (replaced by a iphone) and a psp.

Neutral

TDG01 @ Nov 13th 2007 6:14PM

sweet...I'm a major gadget hound, plus my boys are quickly following in my footsteps...So between me, my wife, 2 boys and 2 girls, we have quite the collection of stuff. An i760, Q, (4) cell phones, (3) new zunes coming in, (3) iPods, (2) PSPs, and an Archos...I feel weird, but I think I need 3 of these...