Review of the IDAPT i3: Charge Me Up Big Time

Written by: Finn Orfano • Edited by: Simon Hill
Updated May 18, 2011 • Related Guides: iPhone | iPod | PSP

If you have lots of devices, then you know what a pain it is to always be looking for the charger. My iPhone gets a big play but I'm not always near a USB port. How about a solution that doesn't require a USB port or individual chargers? How about a charging station? How about an IDAPT?

Electric Dreams

I had a dream last night and it was a doozy. I was sitting in a room surrounding by electronic gadgets. Some of them I recognized, like my iPhone and and iPod, but some I didn’t. All I could hear was the eerie sound of voices crying out ”Charge me, charge me.” And all I could see was hundreds, nay, thousands of chargers lying against the wall, each with sharp teeth showing, waiting to bite my hand off if I tried to grab them.

Okay, like I said it was a wacky dream, but I get what my subconscious was telling me - enough already with a charger for each and every single electronic device I've got. It would have been nice if my subconscious could have offered a solution, but I guess it expects my conscious mind to take up the slack. Which I can do - because I’ve got the IDAPT here and ready to boogie.

Charging Station
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Let’s start with what it’s not - a syncing device. If you’ve got an iPod, iPhone or cell phone (or something else) that can attach to a computer, good for you. But that’s not what the IDAPT is all about. This guy - who comes in silver or black or red - may look like a charging dock but in reality it’s a universal charging station. What that means is that it’s like a one-stop shop for your iPhone or iPod or PlayStation Portable or a lot more.

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What is the iDAPT i3?
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So let’s get to what it IS. To start with, you can charge three devices (hence this being called the IDAPT i3 instead of i2, etc.) and yeah, I’ve got three working on my computer desk cum office space all the time. So IDAPT say hello to my iPhone 3GS, my PSP and my rechargeable battery pack for the “AA”s that pretty much seem to rule my world. Now you might think it’s no big deal to pop a device like an iPod, etc. Into the IDAPT, but how do you know which three devices, or more to the point how does the IDAPT know which three? A seance? Divining rod? Channeling Houdini? Any of those would be cool but the simple fact is that each of the three charging points on the IDAPT are ready to accept a convenient charging tip that pops into the charging station and gets held in place by a clamping device. But don't get the wrong idea - you're not locked into using what has been clamped like it was cemented.

Designing Minds Get Electrified
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This can also be reversed, meaning you can release the clamps and remove the charging tip at will. Why would you do that? Because six tips may come along with the IDAPT, but there’s a whole lot more you can buy individually if you want to. Why do that? Well for example, I sometimes put my iPhone 3GS into a MOPHIE battery case. That provides protection as well as battery backup (helpful when I get into one of my Dr. Who moods), but the MOPHIE uses a mini USB connector, not the standard wide mouthed Apple one. So into the IDAPT goes a mini USB connector charging point to take up the slack while the MOPHIE’s in use. And if I were to get a Blackberry (why, don’t ask), I’d just get the required charging tip for it from the website.

Of course you could run into trouble since not all devices are vertical when charged, the PSP for example. Fortunately the engineers who designed the IDAPT were wise to that and staggered the three charging slots by having two side by side while one sits in front. This allows that PSP just mentioned to sit horizontally in the charging tip without causing any grief.

Charging Ahead

This is the whole idea behind the IDAPT as I see it - eliminating the grief of all these electricity-gobbling devices. Maybe going “green” will save the Planet but going somewhere with my iPhone and using the GPS has saved my bacon on occasion too. Not to mention the occasional phono call you can make on Apple’s mini-computer, er, cell phone. But I should mention that there is a power switch to turn the IDAPT off if you want.

Let’s face it - you’re going to have to use a charger on something you've got, so it might as well be one that combines functionality with common sense and a dash of entitlement. Just don’t look askance at me if I decide I need another one and go for red this time.

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Review of the IDAPT i3: Charge Me Up Big Time

Electric Dreams

Charging StationRating

What is the iDAPT i3?Rating

Designing Minds Get ElectrifiedRating

Charging Ahead

Charging Station
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What is the iDAPT i3?
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Designing Minds Get Electrified
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