That’s where the Bluelounge MiniDock comes in, it’s a charger that plugs directly in a power outlet for your device to sit upright while charging. The Mini Dock replaces the USB connector and is ideal for those who travel a lot. There is no longer the risk of stepping on it while it stands on the floor or placing it on a table or desk from where it could easily fall.

While its not exactly practical to use your phone or tablet with the MiniDock, the charger does help in other situations. For example, you could easily watch a movie, a video or listen to your favorite music in the kitchen, bathroom or from the top of your bed while its safely stuck against the wall beside you.

Designed for EU, UK and US wall outlets, the MiniDock is priced at just $19.95.

AT&T Zero draw charger - Photo: AT&T

Today may be St. Patrick’s Day and there will be a lot of people out there consuming green-colored beer, but there is another meaning to “going green” with AT&T. It involves slaying some vampires and saving the environment, it seems, with the upcoming AT&T ZERO Charger.

As you may already know, devices plugged into the wall continue to draw electricity even when they are not in use. This is true of televisions, for instance, since they are in standby mode. The same can be said about your phone charger, even if you don’t have your phone attached to said charger.

To overcome this so-called vampire draw, you could take a look at the new AT&T ZERO Charger. This may look like any other wall adapter, but the critical difference is that the ZERO Charger will automatically shut down when it is not in use. Thus, the vampire draw is 100% eliminated. The ZERO Charger has a standard USB port, so it’ll work with the iPhone, BlackBerry, and a myriad of other devices.

“Mobile phone users probably don’t know it, but a charger left plugged into a wall wastes electricity – enough to power 24,000 homes for a year, or brew three to four million cups of coffee each day. Energy saving calculations based on the following assumptions by AT&T: 277 million wireless users in U.S., minimum one phone per user; user charges device 3 to 4 times per week for 8 hours; 80% of users leave charger plugged in wall socket; average charger wastes 170 mW (0.17 watts) when idle.”

Since conventional chargers left plugged into the wall can draw as much as 5 to 20 times more energy than what is actually stored in the battery, eliminating vampire draw is a pretty big deal. There’s no mention of a price or availability date, so we’ll just have to wait for this “coming soon” product.

As you can quite plainly see from the image provided, your regular dual wall outlet can gain a pair of extra powered USB ports. This way, you can keep the power going to your LCD monitor or desk lamp, while still having access to the USB ports to charge your MP3 player and smartphone.

That’s pretty sweet. This is a custom wall outlet that will require a little bit of electrician’s work on your part, but the process should be just as straightforward as replacing a regular wall outlet. This is a very good idea!

The best part? The “TruePower UCS Power Outlet with Built-in USB Ports” (what a mouthful) is only ten bucks. They’re working on final UL approval, so they expect to fill your pre-order early next year.

Source: Crunchgear

The DLO WallDock isn’t exactly the most exciting thing in the world, but it does let you charge your iPhone or iPod up against the wall. There is no cable to extend, since your Apple device docks into the top. You’ll also see that there are no inserts, since the top surface acts like a cushion to hold your iPhone or iPod in place.

It’s also slightly flexible, from what I can gather, so that your iPhone will lean up against the wall while it is being charged. Does it come with an FM transmitter, portable battery, or any other functionality? Nope. It’s a wall charger.

You can find the DLO WallDock on sale at your favorite accessories store for about $24.99. It’s far from the cheapest wall charger on the block, but that’s the price you pay for pretty, right?

Source: TheGadgeteer

Instead of letting the cords and cables make for one huge mess, this cover provides a small pocket to the side of the wall outlet. In this small plastic pocket, you can slot your favorite smartphone or other mobile device, threading the charging cable through to the wall outlet without having the cable dangle everywhere.

It’s far from being a high-tech solution, but it seems like a viable solution. There is a slot on the side for phones that have their charging ports on the side, but the better cable management comes out of the bottom where the hinged door keeps everything easily accessible.

The best part is that the Socket Pocket sells for just six bucks. That’s a small price to pay for a little more organization.

Source: Crunchgear