OhGizmo Review: iGo Netbook Charger

By Colin Ackerman

We’ve been fans of iGo’s power accessories for a while; with a system of interchangeable tips to charge as many gadgets as you own (almost) from any source iGo supports, you have to carry around far less self-tangling cableage keep all of your stuff juiced up and happy. iGo’s latest offering is a Netbook Charger, designed specifically for, uh, netbooks. It’s just like the power brick that came with your netbook, with few key exceptions: it can power any netbook you have a tip for, it includes a powered USB port, and it’s pretty. Read all about it, after the jump.

The powered USB port is especially handy, since the iGo charger can take the place of one (or many) other chargers for devices that are USB compatible. For everything else, you can get an adapter cable from iGo that plugs into the USB port and accepts iGo tips for $7. So basically, instead of carrying around chargers for your netbook, cell phone, GPS, digital camera, and weird tubey speaker thing, you just pack the Netbook Charger and a bunch of iGo tips.

iGo Laptop Charger, iGo Netbook Charger, standard netbook power adapter (MSI Wind)

I take my netbook everywhere. Whether I’m traveling on business, pleasure, pleasure, or pleasure, my computer comes with me. And so does my cell phone. This charger lets me charge both of these critical pieces of my life with a minimum of hassle and cableage, which is quite nice. It’s a little bit bigger than the power brick that came with my netbook, which is unfortunate, but it’s smaller than that plus the other chargers that I would ordinarily be carrying around. I also like the fact that the cord that plugs into the wall is two prong instead of three… It might not be the greatest idea, but it sure is convenient. A bonus is that the cord is detachable and replaceable since it features a standard connection, giving you the option of going super low profile:

The iGo Netbook Charger is a no-brainer if you need a replacement (or additional) power adapter for your netbook, if you travel a lot with a bunch of accessories, or if you commonly travel with multiple netbooks… I’m not sure why you’d do that, but I’m sure there are people out there. If you’re happy with your current power adapter, though, I’d hesitate to recommend buying one of these simply to take its place. The USB port is convenient, to be sure, but the iGo Netbook Charger is likely larger than the adapter that came with your netbook, and at $50 (which includes 2 free iGo adapter tips), it’s certainly not cheap. But sometimes the convenience is worth it, especially if you hate hate HATE cables as much as I do.

If you and your netbook find yourselves away from standard outlets a lot, iGo also offers a Netbook Anywhere Charger, which includes auto and airplane adapters for an extra $20.

[ iGo Netbook Charger ]