Energizer 180W Cup Inverter: Juice Your Gadgets on the Go

It's been a brutal week at work, you've spent what? Maybe 15 seconds of it without your phone on your ear and your computer on your lap? At this point, your electronics are just as drained as your are. Give them a jump start on your drive home with this 180W car charger.

What Is It?

A five-port, 180W power inverter/mobile gadget charger.

Who's It For?

People with gadgets and cars.

Design

Cup-ish in shape, about the size of a large McDonald's soda, with a side-mounted adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Four USB ports, a three-prong plug, and a power indicator are situated on the unit's flat top.

Using It

Do you know how to plug stuff into a USB port or wall socket? You're all set.

The Best Part

This thing has more ports than I have devices, and by leaving both a 30-pin and microUSB cable in my center console, I can charge every device that my family owns. It doesn't actually charge my devices faster in the car, just more of them.

Tragic Flaw

You lose a valuable cup holder space while using it. You can, of course, mitigate the loss of the cup holder by placing the charger on the passenger-side floor and running the USB cable up to the seat beside you.

This Is Weird...

If you need to charge your gadgets but don't want to leave them in a baking hot car, the unit also includes terminal clamps for drawing power from directly under the hood.

Test Notes

• The unit outputs at 120V/60Hz so, no, you can't run power tools or other high drain devices through it.
• The inverter uses a thermal fan for cooling, which is nearly silent and impossible to hear with the engine running.
• This is really handy when building a mobile office into your passenger compartment.
• Charged a Nexus 7, iPhone 4s, HP laptop, Droid DNA, and mini iPad all at the same time.

Should I Buy It?

If you only really ever charge a single device in your car at a time, this might be a bit overkill. However even if you aren't a full-on gadget junkie having the ability to charge a device bigger than your phone is a worthwhile safety net, especially for $36.

Energizer 180 Watt Cup Inverter Specs

• Dimensions: 3.3 x 3.3 x 3 inches
• Weight: 7 oz
• Input: terminal clamp or lighter socket adapter (both included)
• Output: 4x USB, 1x three prong
• Price: $36 at Amazon

Source: http://gizmodo.com/energizer-180w-cup-inverter-juice-your-gadgets-on-the-487791482

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