By David Ponce

As we increasingly untether our computing tasks from the desktop we start to rely more and more on battery power, and that in turn means chargers and cable spaghetti hell. Any solution that helps tidy things up even a bit is always welcome. The PlugBug elegantly attaches to your MacBook charger and introduces an additional USB outlet; you can then charge both the MacBook and any iDevice simultaneously. It’s rated at 10W which means your iPhone or iPad will charge much faster than if it’s charging from the MacBook USB port. Plus, at $35, it sure beats using a $2,400 laptop to juice back up.

[ PlugBug Product Page ] VIA [ CoolHunting ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got more gadgets than you can keep track of. Unfortunately, almost all of them require a battery of some sort to function. This means you need a lot of free outlets to keep them all full of juice. Thankfully the people at IDAPT have a great solution.

Updating their Universal Desktop Charger, the company has released the i4. This time around you can charge up to four devices, instead of three. You still only have the three docks, but they have added on a USB port to the side for charging another gadget. The three docks have interchangeable tips, which can be used to charge everything from your digital camera, to your portable gaming device or even your phone. If you’re looking to cut down on the clutter while keeping your gadgets in one place, this definitely looks worth the $60 price.

[ IDAPT ]

By Evan Ackerman

While we’re still (apparently) a long way away from the mythical standardization of cell phone chargers, more and more phones (and other gadgets like portable music players and digital cameras) have come to rely on (or at least accept) USB connections for recharging. The current supplied by most USB connections probably won’t charge your gadget as fast as whatever proprietary wall plug that came with it, but the epic level of convenience of only needing one plug and one cable more than makes up for it.

Unless you need to charge two things at the same time, in which case multiple powered USB ports are a necessity. Your laptop probably has multiple powered USB ports, but sometimes leaving your laptop plugged in and turned on just to charge some stuff isn’t especially convenient, sometimes you don’t want to carry around your laptop at all, and sometimes you just don’t want to deal with all the crap that happens when you plug something in that also uses USB to transfer data.

So after all that ranting, you’re probably expecting some kind of fantabulous thing that will solve all of your USB charging needs. Sorry. All I’ve got is this wall jack that has TWO USB charging plugs instead of ONE. And it’s small and black and has foldy plugs. And it only costs $7. Find it at USB Geek.

VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Evan Ackerman

I don’t know what it is with car chargers and their tendency to look bulgy and phallic. Why would anyone want something like that sticking out of their dashboard? Belkin’s new Micro Auto Charger, on the other hand, fits snugly into your cigarette adapter, and makes it look like you have a factory installed USB charging port in your car. It doesn’t get much more seamless than this.

The Micro Auto Charger outputs 1 amp, which is twice as much as a standard USB port, meaning your gadgetry will charge omgextraüberfast. It costs just $15, or you can get it with an iPod/iPhone charging cable for $5 more. Look for it starting next month.

[ Belkin ] VIA [ iLounge ]

By David Ponce

Primitive though it may be, walking is an endeavor still enjoyed by a few. And these sprightly urbanites will soon be able to get something in return for their efforts (you know, aside from good health): gadget-recharging electricity. The nPower PEG (Personal Energy Generator) is a device that harvests the kinetic energy of your walking and turns it into electricity, charging most devices up to 80% with just one hour’s worth of walking. Toss it into a bag along with any USB 2.0 powered device, and it’ll charge as you walk. The rep did not mention whether jumping around spastically would make things go faster.

The nPower PEG in being pre-sold on their website, and will be available in six months for $149. The company hopes that as it gets manufactured in increasingly larger quantities, the price will drop accordingly.

Full press release after the jump.

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