So that's where Batman gets all his high tech gadgets...

How to make good use of your car's unused plug

I have been looking to make the cigarette lighter in the car more useful. I have no use for it for its original indication.

Up until recently it only has been used to plug in the charging cable from the GPS. And once in a rare while to charge a phone. However, it did not seem enough. With more and more of today's gadgets using a variation of USB connections, the large plug is becoming outdated.

This is where my newest gadget comes in, the dual USB plug. The one I recently purchased and is already in the car's secondary cigarette lighter is Anker 24W Dual USB Car Charger PowerDrive. When I first find out about such a cool and useful gadget, I started my search for the best one available and a good price.

There were quite a few models listed on Amazon.com. Though after doing some comparisons two models stood out. They were similar in price, and most of the features. And at first glance, I could not pick between the two. But then I read more into their features. What separated the Anker USB charger for me from other dual USB car chargers was that it has twice as much juice as the competitor. I thought it was too good to be true, so I did some more digging and it was correct. This unit has 5 volts @ 1 amp per plug, while the other one offered 500 mA of power per each. More power to quickly charge my travel gadgets, yes, please. It also has built-in SmartFuse for circuit protection to keep the devices safe.

The car charger plug fits snugly into the outlet, not sticking out at all, and converts it into a quick charging USB port. Great for plugging in just about any gadget that you would take a long on a trip, be it a phone, tablet, or game that come with the USB adapters.

Why good to have on a trip:
- Charge several devices at once
- With 1 amp power per USB port, it has plenty of juice to charge most devices
- Works with iPod, iPhone, BlackBerry, cellular phones, MP3 players, PDAs and more
- Built-in SmartFuse for circuit protection
- Use your existing USB charging cables to charge most USB powered devices
- Space-saving design fits two USB ports into a compact device

Did You Know?:
Circuit protection devices are used to protect connectors from being damaged by the excess current caused by an overcurrent or short-circuit.

What do you think? Leave a Comment

Keep on Traveling Safe - Check the app, Pull out a Pen, and Drink Up

To follow up on my earlier post this week, There is a Travel App for That: Can I Drink the Water?, I have came across a very useful travel gadget that would go great with this app. Once you check if the water in the your destination is drinkable, it would be a great idea to have a portable water filter with you. Even if the place checks out for the most part, it is still better to be safe during travel since being far away from home, some things might not be as easily accessible. And eating contaminated food and drinking contaminated water can increase the risk of developing certain infectious diseases caused by germs such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, and norovirus, among others. Additionally, after an emergency, especially after flooding, drinking water may not be available or safe to drink for personal use. Not very fun facts when on vacation. That is why there are technologies that have been developed to more easily filter the water. These gadgets have become small and easy enough to use that they can be taken along on any trip. One of such gadgets is the SteriPEN, which purifies the water using ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect it. Water filters have been shown to be the most effective interventions amongst all point-of-use water treatment methods. They allow you to clean liters of water to use in bottles or hydration packs. To operate it, simply turn it on, remove the protective cap and place it in a cup or bottle of water. Sensor prongs ensure the UV light won't turn on when the pen is not immersed, protecting your eyes from the UV radiation. While it good at removing harmful bacteria from the water, it is not going to remove any dirt or other small debris.

Why good to have on a trip:
- Get drinkable water no matter which side of the equator you are on
- Together with the Can I Drink the Water? app, keep travel safe
- light, small, easy to use

What others are saying:
Gear Review: SteriPEN Traveler 3-in-1 UV Water Purifier by TravelGearBlog
New SteriPEN Freedom: Smaller and USB Rechargeable! by PracticalTravelGear
Gadling gear review: SteriPen Freedom water purifier

Did You Know?:
Water Disinfection for Travelers Information

There is a Travel App for That: Can I Drink the Water?

Can I Drink the Water?

The last thing you want on a trip is for anything to interrupt the tours and excursions. So keep your travel safe with this interesting app from Two Steps Beyond. The app is location aware so you can quickly look up what the water supply is like nearby, wherever you are in the world. This especially comes in very handy when you are traveling to countries that are not known for their infrastructure. Mexico is one of the countries that most travelers have heard about the water quality. And most folks know to stay away from their tap water and make sure that drinks and ice are made with bottled water. Though there are quite a few other countries where the locals can drink the water as they are used to it, however this same water would do a number on unsuspecting tourists. Can I Drink the Water? has water quality information for over 200 countries. The information is compiled from official government resources, travel reports, and other documentation available to ensure that you travel safe and worry-free and are able brush your teeth and shower without any side effects.

 Did You Know?:
- Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
- Available on iTunes and Android Market
- 51% of the profits from this app will be donated to Charity Water, dedicated to bringing clean water to developing countries.

Other cool travel apps:
ATM Hunter - fast and easy for you to locate the closest ATM and MasterCard®PayPass™ accepting merchants. And because the ATM Hunter is location aware, there’s no need to input your address or current location, no matter where in the world you are.
iBeers Pro - definitive references for beer drinkers around the world with over 2,700 different beers in its database
Maplets - The most comprehensive offline map app on the app store, with over 6000 maps in the US and worldwide including Yosemite, New York Subway, London Tube, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, State Parks, and more

Stay safe this holiday travel season. Go Travel. Take a Gadget ™