New system helps you keep track of all your digital junk
When my wife and I travel we always take along an iPad, a Kindle and two iPhones, and I most often also take my MacBook Air. We’re constantly forgetting or misplacing either a cable for something or the power brick needed to charge whatever device it is. And keeping the darn cables organized in the backpack we pack everything in is a royal pain; as is keeping track of the charging blocks themselves.
A new system from AViiQ may be the best way yet to keep track of all that junk.
The new AViiQ Portable Charging Station with Cable Rack and Winder cable-management system is one of the best solutions I’ve seen so far. I’ve tested a lot of these multiple-charging solutions out over the years and even though the AViiQ system isn’t perfect, I think it might be one of the best yet. It’s certainly is the simplest of all of them and it doesn’t require me to buy attachments for my phones and iPads etc. – all I need is my USB cable for each device.
The AViiQ Portable Charging Station can charge both iPhones, the Kindle and the iPad all at once and the kit folds neatly up in a zippered leather case to keep all the cables organized in a nice neat array. The best part is no charging blocks are needed; the built-in four-port USB hub gives the right charge for all our devices so we only need to plug into that. Their Cable Rack and Winder cable management system really helps to sort out that cable clutter and organize your cables nicely. The whole thing is powered by a detachable 15W (5v/3A) Wall Charger that has foldable prongs. I like that it has a little elastic loop to keep the charger neatly in the case, but the two prongs are a little difficult to snap out to plug into a socket.
The Portable Charging Station is 254mm H x 127mm W x 38mm D and weighs 212g when empty. It’s made of leather or nylon and your precious electronics sit on a plush Valet Pad while charging. It zips neatly up for travel and fits nicely into a backpack or travel bag.
Each of your cables plugs into the USB hub then wraps around the Cable Winder until you have the desired length sticking out to enable you to charge your devices. You wrap up to four cables, one around each of these Winders, and then slide the Winders onto the Cable Rack system. Just leave them in the Portable Charging Station all the time while travelling. If you want to sync your devices up by plugging directly into a computer, you simply slide a Winder out of the Rack assemblies and plug into the computer.
It’s a pretty slick system; however it takes a bit of setting up to get just right. I found the best way was to plug my devices in first, then place them on and around the Portable Charging Station in a way that used the least counter space. Then I wrapped each cable around its corresponding Cable Rack and plugged each into its USB port.
If you’re careful wrapping the cables around the winders before putting them into the Cable Rack everything will fit well and the results will be neat, tidy and efficient. If you’re sloppy with the cables, the winders won’t fit snugly into the Cable Racks and you won’t be happy.
The AViiQ Portable Charging Station with Cable Rack and Winder cable management system retails for US$99 for the leather series, and US$79.99 for nylon series, and is available through their website. Best Buy sells some AViiQ products in Canada as does Future Shop and Tiger Direct.
PROS: Charges four devices at once; cable rack system keeps the cables neat and tidy; zippered case folds up for efficient storage.
CONS: Hard to find in Canada; you have to be conscientious about wrapping the cables neatly; the prongs on the adapter are difficult to flip out.
Murray Hill is lead tech writer at Communicatto, a social media marketing agency. From Troy Media.
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