A few years back I switched to Gomadic accessoiries to sync and charge my Windows Phones, and other mobile devices like media players, etc. In this article I will provide an overview of one of Gomadic’s latest products, the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange.
The picture above shows you the retail package of the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange. It is a relative small package and there is no unnecessarily packaging like you see with some products.
Combined in one design – car- and home charger
On the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange productpage on the Gomadic website you can read the following product description:
“The Gomadic Car and Home 2 in 1 Combo Charger with TipExchange is the essence of an all-in-one charging solution for all your travel needs. Designed to function as a high quality Rapid Car charger via a standard DC vehicle cigarette lighter, the convenience does not end there. Two foldable AC outlet power pins easily emerge from the compact base to seamlessly convert the charger to a Rapid Wall AC charger too!”
To summarize, there are two chargers combined into one product design. The picture above clearly shows you the car charger for the cigarette lighter in your car, which is the first charging method.
The picture below shows you the second charging method. Via a set of foldable charging pins you can now use the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange as a wallcharger.
Furthermore you can see there is a nice LED included in the product design, that shows you if the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange is charging or not.
What is the Gomadic TipExchange technology ?
One of the main reasons why I switched to Gomadic accessoiries is the great modular design of their products. I didn’t want to take several sync and charging cables with me on the go. Gomadic provides a great solution, called TipExchange technology:
“Built with the convenience of Gomadic’s TipExchange, the same 2 in 1 Combo Charger can also be used to charge your other gadgets by simply switching the “tip” (additional tips sold separately). If travel is in your future, a Gomadic Combo Charger should be packed in your travel bag.
As an example you can see that the tips for the Zune HD and the HTC HD2 are included in the picture, but I also have several other tips for HTC Snap, iPod Classic 120GB and various older devices I used in the past (Samsing i600, Samsung BlackJack II).
You can check on the Gomadic website if there are cabletips for your preferred device in their broad product offering. If I buy a new device I would only have to buy a new cabletip and not a complete new cable or charger, which saves money.
Final thoughts and conclusion
I would like to start this section with a nice overview of key selling points of the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange:
- “Provides a unique combination of both a rapid car charger and rapid wall charger into one light, compact design;
- Supports a wide variety of AC (100-240v) and DC (12-24v) input ranges enabling worldwide application;
- High output current of 1000mAh uses advanced internal circuitry to protect from power surges; overcharging and short-circuiting;
- TipExchange technology (tip is included) protects investment with easy upgrades that allow users to charge multiple mobile devices with the same charger;
- Cable length is 41 inches (14 cm); UL and CE certified; backed by Gomadic’s Lifetime Warranty and conforms to our high quality standards;”
In the introduction I mentioned that I switched to Gomadic sync and charge accessoiries a few years ago. The main reason for this move are the excellent TipExchange technology, that is really well designed and the product quality is of an excellent level.
I always carry a Gomadic Power Hot Sync and Charge Straight USB Cable with TipExchange in my bag, so I can sync and charge multiple devices wherever I go. Combined with one of the Gomadic Wall chargers, a great combination that delivers a high output of 1000mAh ! In the past it was sometimes a problem that specific charging devices had a limited output, with the result that your device wasn’t charged.
Despite the great product design and high quality I would like to write down a few points of improvement. At first I live in the Netherlands, so I can use the wall charger only in combination with a Skross World Travel Adapter or a similar product. I had a similar experience in the Lenovo 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Power Adapter review, also a really well designed and high quality product.
If you remark that in the review of the MaxiMobileShop 4-port USB Power Adapter Kit there are several charging plugs included, this is certainly an area I would investigate.
Second I would personaly like to see the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger, with a USB output port, so I can use it in combination with the Gomadic Power Hot Sync and Charge Straight USB Cable with TipExchange.
Overall I think this is a good product that is really helpfull in many daily situations, and based on my experience with Gomadic products in terms of quality and design this is certainly a good choice. If you need a new wall charger or a new car charger, simply go for the Gomadic 2-in-1 Car and Home Combo Charger with Tip Exchange, and get both for the price you would normally pay for just one charger.
