We’ve become a highly gadgetized society, but this means that we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to charge up our various portable devices. Seeing a car charger adapter that converts that 12V outlet into a powered USB port is nothing new, but the Brackerton Dual USB Charger comes with a couple of extra tricks.

Naturally, as the name implies, you get a pair of powered USB ports when you plug this into the cigarette jack in your car, but the key difference is the amount of power that the ports can output. The top jack does one amp, while the bottom one offers 2.1 amps. Considering that there are lots of adapters out there that only do 0.5A, this can prove to be quite useful.

Yes, your smartphone can charge ever so slowly along a 0.5A USB port, but your iPad and other tablet devices probably won’t. That’s where this extra juice comes in handy. And yes, there’s an LED light on there to let you know when it’s working. The low-profile design helps to keep it out of the way. Check it out for $24.95.

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As you may recall, we had a look at a few of Griffin’s charging devices in the past here on Mobile Magazine and, overall, we’ve been quite pleased. The original PowerJolt was simply an adapter that fit in the 12V outlet in your car, converting it to a powered USB port for your iPod, BlackBerry, or what-have-you.

The problem with this is that it took up that treasured 12V outlet. Depending on the design of your vehicle, you may have just the one port. What if you need to charge your iPod and your Garmin GPS? That’s the simple solution offered by the PowerJolt Plus. It’ll charge one thing, but it has a pass-through.

The PowerJolt Plus will come in (at least) three variants: iPhone/iPod, mini-USB, and micro-USB. The latter two are officially called the Griffin PowerJolt Plus Mobile. Look for all three versions to start showing up at retailers on March 10 with sticker prices at $29.99 each.

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One of the newest products to hit the block is the Mophie Car & Wall International USB Charger. Why invest in a separate wall charger and car charger when you can have both in one convenient package? This particular product is designed to work with the International Adapter Travel Kit so that it can work no matter where in the world you may find yourself.

Two Chargers for the Price of One

I certainly enjoyed the Mophie Dual USB Wall Charger that I looked at last week, but it was only useful for when you found yourself next to a wall outlet. As you may recall, the idea is that it would transform a standard wall outlet into a pair of powered USB ports. These ports could then be used to charge your iPod, iPhone, or any number of other USB devices.

The Wall & Car International USB Charger only offers a single USB port, but it comes with dual functionality. If you look around to the back, you’ll notice that it has the power prongs that flip out for connecting to a wall outlet. Along the side, however, it has the 12V adapter for charging in the car.

The overall build quality is good and the swinging arm for the 12V adapter can rotate 270 degrees. This way, it should be able to fit in just about any car dash configuration. On the downside, this charger is much bulkier than what you would find with a standalone wall adapter or a standalone car charger.

Traveling All Around the World

The regular flip-out power prongs on the Wall & Car International USB Charger are fine for when you’re hanging out in New York or Vancouver, but what about when you take that trip to Paris or Hong Kong? Those prongs just won’t do.

That’s where the accompanying Mophie International Adapter Travel Kit comes into play. You get a basic carrying bag along with three adapters to work with a number of international locations. It’s not completely comprehensive, but you should be covered for most global destinations.

They look like the regular travel adapters that you can buy from any number of electronics accessory stores, but these adapters have a little something extra. There is a small tab that fits into a slot on the Wall & Car Charger, clicking in place so that it doesn’t accidentally fall out. The Wall & Car Charger then has a release tab so that you can take off the adapter as needed.

A Handy Accessory for Power-Hungry Fanatics

Most people will say that they are perfectly happy charging their iPods and iPhones through their computers, but that USB port won’t always be available to you. Sometimes, it’s just more convenient to have a regular wall or car charger and this Mophie package combines the two into one simple solution.

The Mophie Wall & Car International USB Charger ($24.95) is certainly handy and it is designed quite well, but I find that it is a little too bulky for my tastes. It’s almost as big as those power inverters that you can get for your car, converting a 12V outlet into a wall outlet. The International Adapter Travel Kit ($14.95) seems like a nice addition as well, but you can probably find cheaper generic adapters elsewhere.

I applaud Mophie on combining a car charger with a wall adapter, but I think future iterations could be much more compact. Having a second powered USB port would be helpful too.

Overall Rating: 7.0/10

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It’s not exactly innovative in what it offers or what it does, but this has got to be one of the sleekest designs we’ve seen thus far. The idea is that that plugs into your car’s available 12-volt outlet (the cigarette jack) and converts it into a powered USB port.

Other companies have offered similar products, like the Griffin PowerDuo Universal, but the Micro USB Car Charger from iLuv barely sticks out of the 12-volt outlet. This is not unlike the tiny flash drives and Bluetooth dongles that fit almost completely into USB ports.

There’s a blue power LED to let you know when it’s working and it’ll output a standard 500mA to quickly charge your iPhone, iPod, or any other USB devices using an appropriate USB cable. The iAD 115 on its own is $14.99. You can alternatively bundle it with a USB cable, wall adapter, or wall adapter and USB cable for $29.99, $29.99, and $39.99, respectively.

Source: iLuv

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