Crave

The PowerFuze keeps your USB devices juiced in the car and at home.

(Credit: Scosche)

You should see the mess of cables, chargers, and charging cables that clutter my backpack every day. Moving from car to car and home to work while testing a variety of devices means that iPod sync cables, USB cables, Mini- and Micro-USB cables for mobile phones and GPS devices, 12-volt car chargers, and 110-volt wall chargers eat up a good deal of my bag space. For me, this is why Scosche's PowerFuze charger system looks interesting. This charging solution should let you replace a number of cables and chargers for an all-in-one approach. It's a car charger and a wall charger. Ideally, it's the best of both worlds.

The PowerFuze system crams a few different charging configurations into one package. When you're at home, it is a two-port "Made for iPod" and "Works with iPhone" certified USB AC charger that plugs into a 110-volt wall outlet. When you're on the road, a 12-volt USB charger pulls out to take advantage of your vehicle's DC power port. If you have 12-volt DC car accessories that you want to use indoors, the vacant 12-volt port will work as a power inverter to accommodate them. With 1 amp of current split between the two channels, you shouldn't expect to power a 12-volt air compressor on the PowerFuze, but there's more than enough overhead for most portable devices.

Then again, most users only have one car, so they won't really see the point of carrying around the 12-volt charger. That little bugger will probably find itself perma-lodged into your car's DC power port after the first week--when you get sick of bringing it into the house every day. That being said, I still think it's nice to be able to pick up both chargers for one reasonable price and have the flexibility to use them together if you should decide to do so.

The PowerFuze and the PowerFuze Pro (with an included iPod sync cable) sell for $34.99 and $44.99 respectively. If you only need a car charger, look for the PowerPlug and PowerPlug Pro with sync cable for $19.99 and $29.99, respectively. Check out Scosche.com for more details on this cool little stocking stuffer.

(Credit: TomTom)

TomTom's iPhone cradle for iPhone has quietly made its way into the Apple Store. So, if you're an iPhone user with an extra $120 bucks burning a hole in your pocket for a navigation accessory (or $220, if you don't already own TomTom's navigation app), pop over to the Apple Store for a look.

According to TomTom's representative, the Apple Store product page is for preorders and TomTom has not yet announced a specific date for the product's availability. If Apple's claim that the product ships in 2-3 weeks is true, we should be seeing it soon, rather than later.

We've already questioned the value of a $120 phone cradle. The general consensus among our readers was that the price is a bit steep for an accessory, even with the inclusion of the uprated GPS receiver, 12 volt charger, and speakerphone. We'll be able to put the issue to rest when we finally get our unit in for testing.

Mascotte's messenger bag prototype

(Credit: Mascotte)

G24 Innovations has shipped its first flexible solar panels, which are destined for the outside of backpacks and other bags, the company said Wednesday.

The U.K. company's dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are thin-film photovoltaics that can be manufactured in flexible rolls relatively cheaply. It is a material the U.S. Air Force has been looking into for use in its unmanned aerial vehicles for longer endurance.

G24's DSSC cells, which are designed to create electricity from indoor light as well as outdoor sunlight, will be put into commercial use by the manufacturer Mascotte Industrial Associates.

Solar backpack, duffel

(Credit: G24 Innovations)

The Hong Kong-based company is integrating the DSSC panels into a line of backpacks, duffel bags, e-book covers, camera bags, and messenger bags that can then be tapped to recharge items like cell phones or cameras.

Mascotte plans to display its solar bags at this week's Hong Kong Electronics Fair, and the products could be available to consumers as soon as December, according to the company. Mascotte has already filled its Web site with photos of potential products.

While Mascotte won't be the first to offer solar recharging in a backpack and while it hasn't released its price list yet, the company's use of DSSC cells may make it the first to offer a bag at a reasonable price to the masses. In 2006, Tumi offered a limited edition PowerPack, which cost almost $700. In mid-2007, the Mana Solar Claw offered a $230 solar backpack cover.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

For this week's installment of the weekly Crave giveaway, we have an assortment of Duracell Smart Power accessories that are just about to hit stores. Included in the package is an Instant USB charger, a sweet Daylite LED flashlight, a Go Mobile charger with two AA and two AAA rechargeable batteries (plus a car adapter), and last but not least, the myGrid cable-free conductive charger (you lay your phone on a mat and the battery juices up). Out of the box, the myGrid only works with the Blackberry, Motorola, and Nokia models pictured, but additional charging adapters are available and next year a charging sleeve, which doubles as a protective case, will be available for the iPhone.

Normally, this collection of Duracell products would cost about $170, but you have the chance to get it gratis.

So, how do you try to win the Duracell goodies? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Duracell Instant USB charger, (1) Duracell Daylite LED flashlight, (1) Duracell Go Mobile charger, (1) Duracell myGrid cable-free induction charger. Approximate retail value is $170.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday, October 12, at noon EDT.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 PM ET on October 12, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

(Credit: CNET)

If the $50 price drop on the Nintendo Wii was enough to make you pull the trigger, we definitely recommend checking out a few accessories for the console. Sure, not all of them are necessary, but we think most of them will improve your overall experience with the Wii.

(Credit: Nyko)

The first pair of accessories you'll probably want to invest in is another Wii remote ($35) and nunchuk ($20) attachment. The Wii only ships with one set and if you plan on playing with more than one person, you're going to need these. While the nunchuk doesn't require batteries, the remotes do. Replacing their AA batteries can become expensive so we highly recommend picking up one of our favorite chargers, the Nyko Charge Station (in either two- or four-capacity models).

While the Wii can be hooked up to your television right out of the box, we definitely think you should consider upgrading the AV wires that ship with the console, especially if you have an HDTV. The Nintendo Wii Component Cable ($30) will give you a better picture and allow for 480p output.

Now that we've taken care of the basics, it's time to look at a few nonessential items for the Wii. While you don't need any plastic attachments for the system, the Wii Zapper ($20) is the cheapest plastic add-on around and it comes with a great shooting game (Link's Crossbow Training) to practice with.

(Credit: CNET)

Nintendo recently introduced Wii MotionPlus ($20), a small device that attaches to the bottom of a Wii remote and improves overall accuracy and performance of motion control. While there aren't many games that take advantage of it, there are some that do require it (Wii Sports Resort, Red Steel 2). Don't forget, you'll need one unit for each Wii remote control you have.

Finally, if you're serious about retro gaming, you may want to consider purchasing the Nyko Wing Wireless Classic Controller($30). The Wii gives you access to a huge library of old school games via the Virtual Console and the Wing controller is the best way to play these older games. The included Wii remote will only work with some of the games, but the Wing's compatibility runs across the board.

For an easy to read, side-by-side breakdown of these accessories, check our must-have Nintendo Wii accessory roundup.

The BioLogic FreeCharge comes in a tiny silicone-encased box that hooks to your generator hub to transfer your body's power into your iPhone.

(Credit: Dahon)

Every year at the Multnomah County Bike Fair in Portland, Ore., someone brings a bike hooked up to a blender and lets people pedal their way to their smoothie of choice. Sometimes the simplest, most obvious ideas are also the most brilliant.

So it comes as no surprise that far lighter, more portable charging devices are being designed to fit on bicycle generator hubs. Folding-bike maker Dahon has just unveiled its Biologic FreeCharge at the Eurobike Fair in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and it has the cycling world all atwitter.

The FreeCharge connects to any dyno hub on the market and charges a small gadget (iPod, cell phone, GPS unit, etc.) by transferring some of the energy your body generates pumping away on your bike to a high-capacity battery, which in turn directs a steady current to said small gadget. A simple silicone casing both secures the unit to the bike and seals the charger (although being zapped by the charger might give one that extra push to continue powering the device).

It remains unclear whether the FreeCharge has the capacity to power these devices as quickly as a 120-volt outlet does--a rate that likely also depends on how fast one pedals. Regardless, an iPhone takes around three hours to fully charge, so unless you're touring the countryside (for which this gadget would be perfect), it's more likely that this has more practical use for smaller top-off charges.

The BioLogic FreeCharge should be available for around $99 in March.

Konnet makes a few versions of its Power Pyramid charging docks, including one that's designed to charge four wireless Xbox 360 controllers at one time and one that charges four PS3 controllers (which only come in a wireless version). However, the model we reviewed is the only one that charges both wireless Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers. That duality obviously has some appeal to gamers who own both systems and don't want to invest in two charging systems.

Wireless Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers can be charged via USB, but a dedicated charger such the Power Pyramid eliminates cable clutter (there's only a single AC adapter) and lets you charge controllers without having the respective game consoles turned on. Like many other charging stations, what's nice about the Power Pyramid is that it also doubles as a storage stand for your controllers.

Read the full review of the Power Pyramid.

(Credit: Charge4all.net)

This is not for everybody, but if you have more than one handheld device (like me), you'd probably find this handy.

It's called a Charge4All portable charging mat and it can charge up to four handheld devices at a time from a single source of power. This means you won't have to fumble around to find wall sockets, especially if you share a place with another gadget hoarder.

The mat supports a large amount of (if not all) popular electronic devices, including iPhones, iPods, cell phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth devices, PDAs, digital cameras, portable GPS devices, and so on. The charger comes with four charging ports and five charging plugs for the most popular devices, including: iPod/iPhone, Mini-USB, Micro-USB, Samsung SCH, and LG Chocolate.

In addition, the company offers up to 29 optional plugs that could potentially support the rest of the handheld devices on the market today. Each additional plug costs another $4.95. A car adapter is also available for charging devices on the go.

The charging mat is made of a soft silicon mat that can be rolled up for easy packing. It's powered by an included AC adapter.

Unfortunately, the Charge4All portable charging mat is not designed for charging laptop computers or other devices that require high voltage. It's available now for $39.95.

Apple and other big phone makers have struck a deal with the European Commission to start selling phones with universal cell phone chargers starting next year.

Side by side view of a micro-USB connector and a regular USB connector.

(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Under the agreement, manufacturers would start using micro-USB connections for phone chargers used for smartphones. Apple joins other big cell phone makers including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in agreeing to the new standard. Chipset makers, such as NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.

In February the GSMA, a trade association for mobile carriers using GSM technology, said it had brokered a deal with handset makers to get the micro-USB technology into cell phone chargers by 2012. And the CTIA, the U.S. wireless trade association, backed the standard in April of this year.

The initiative has many advantages. For one it makes it much easier for consumers who no longer have to worry about losing their one and only cell phone charger. It also cuts down on waste since people can reuse their cell phone chargers when they get a new phone. Even though some cell phone manufacturers were reluctant to give up their proprietary cell phone chargers for fear that it would make it easier for customers to switch to new phones from competitors, eventually standardizing on one technology will help these manufacturers reduce costs.