If you are like most anyone in this connected age, you have several gadgets that all come with their own chargers of varying voltages and charging tips. A cell phone, a Bluetooth headset for that cell phone, a camera, an MP3 player, a Nintendo DS and perhaps a PSP as well. Half your desk is covered with those little “wall warts” as you have two in the wall and bought a power strip for the rest.

Then perhaps, you bought one of those “charging valets” like I did in an effort to organize the mess, and you now have a piece of furniture for your gadgets. How they work is there is a mini power strip hidden in the back that you plug all your adapters into, coil or stuff the wires into the compartment, and thread the charging tips through a little receptacle and plug your gadgets in. Until, of course, you have to travel, whereupon you unplug the entire thing, haul out all the chargers and bundle them up in your suitcase, only to face the prospect of rearranging them once again when you get home.

If you are a frequent traveler, you may start thinking of a second set of chargers so you don’t have to go through those motions again but bulk at the cost since you already shelled out anywhere from $19.95 to $49.95 for that nice charging valet, and you are looking at another $19.95 or more for each gadget charger.

Enter the IDAPT Universal Charger. The IDAPT i4 is a charging platform with three interchangeable charging stations and an additional USB outlet. At $59.99, it comes with a set of six tips: a mini-USB, micro-USB, Nokia 2, Samsung 4, Sony Ericsson 2 and iPod/iPhone. Or you can order it directly from the company website and select a customized set of four tips.

The fit and finish is slick and shiny. It is a handsome piece of equipment that comes with a black or white finish topped with clear acrylic that gives the finish a gleaming depth. The tips are designed so they only fit in one way, so they’re dummy proof — or I should say intuitive since there are those who will try to force a square peg into a round hole. IDAPT has several different models of universal chargers with the i4 being the current top of the line, also having LED lights that show when a gadget is fully charged and an on/off switch for power conservation.

Reviewer’s opinion

My first response after I opened the IDAPT i4 and set it up was “Oh. My. God. Why haven’t I seen or heard of this thing before?” I simply love this thing. It’s not only a marvel of engineering as the charging points have self-regulating power supplies to supply the juice each of the gadgets need, but it’s a marvelously handsome and compact solution for the gadget geeks among us. The icing on the cake would be if IDAPT designed and sold a nice charging tip holding box — lidded please. I have left the extra tips in the flimsy paper packing and stashed them behind the platform right now. A solution for their storage would be a “must-have” accessory to offer. I highly recommend the IDAPT i4.

Specifications

AC Input: 85-240 VAC – 0.2A; 50/60 Hz worldwide compatible

4 independent chargers with self-regulating power supply

DC Output: Up to 13 W

Cord lengh: 1,6 m

Dimensions: 169 x 135 x 32 mm

Weight: 300 g