!7# Simplified Syncing and Charging of Multiple Portable Devices

!±8± Simplified Syncing and Charging of Multiple Portable Devices

With multiple portable devices in your laptop-bag, briefcase, or book-bag, it can be annoying having to deal with the bulk of multiple chargers and the associated bird's-nest of tangled cords required to charge and sync several portable devices. Some cellphone-accessory manufacturers have developed systems that simplify syncing and charging and that enable you to manage multiple devices using a single, space saving tangle-free system. Forget about the bird's-nest. Pick one charger, pick one cable, and pick as many connector tips for the various portable devices you have in your arsenal.

In most cases these systems have three essential components: a charger, a USB connecting cable, and various tips for your different devices. Often there are several choices available depending where and how you like to charge your devices.

Three Charger Types: Car, Wall, or Combo
Generally speaking, each system includes a choice among three different chargers, which are stand-alone units with a USB outlet port in the base. Car chargers plug into the cigarette/power-port of your vehicle and derive their power from the 12-volt DC electrical system. Wall chargers plug into an AC wall-outlet and get power from your home or office. Combo chargers are capable of charging from both AC and DC.

Each charger unit includes an LED indicator light to assure you that power is present from the source. This is particularly useful in the car when you can't tell if the power-port or cigarette-lighter socket has power.

The latest chargers in all three types now have dual-USB ports and high-current capacity (2 amps shared) making it possible to simultaneously charge two power-hungry portable devices from a single charger.

Two Cable Types: Power, and Sync-n-Power
The link between the charger and the connector tip is the USB cable. Power cables only facilitate charging, while sync-n-power cables can do both. Both types are also available in either a straight version, or one that includes a retractor for tangle-free use. Sync-n-power cables can pull double-duty and be used to charge your device when connected to your PC or laptop during syncing. In a critical scenario where your cellphone battery is dead, and no other power source is available, you can use one of these cables to steal a little power from your laptop battery by plugging it into the USB port of the laptop.

Multiple Connector Tips
The real ingenuity in these systems is the variety of connector tips that complete the connection to your portable device. Some connector tips provide charging capability for your portable devices, and some allow data-transfer, depending on your particular device. Often tips are available in USB Mini-B, USB Micro-B, (both of which cover many portable devices on the market) and also specific tips for iPhone, Sony, Samsung, Treo, and LG. So instead of a charger/cable combination for every device you own, all you need is one charger, one cable, and as many tips as it takes to charge all your devices.

The Simplified Syncing and Charging of Multiple Portable Devices is made possible by systems that are typically comprised by three primary components that combine to reduce the number of complete, separate charging-systems required for multiple portable devices. People who regularly carry more than one portable device, even dissimilar devices produced by different manufacturers, will have far less bulk-and-tangle to deal with using this solution.