The 2012 holiday shopping season is knocking at our door. As I write this, I’m also looking for the best (and easiest) turkey brine recipe. Cyber Monday is right around the corner and my wife will be gearing up for Black Friday, right after Thanksgiving. While my wife is a bargain hunter and finds some of the most amazing deals out there, often months before the holidays even approach, I’m more of a surgical strike shopper. I tend to do the shopping in my mind (with some research on the web) and then go directly to a store and buy exactly what I want to buy. There is no browsing, no messing around. Get in, get the product and get out in literally minutes.
So, I’m going to help you with that quick surgical shopping with a product that would definitely make a gadget freak like me happy. The Sharper Image, known for their tech toys (I have spent hours at their stores), has a handy travel device called the Restore Charging Valet. If you are similar to me, you have lots of different gadgets: smartphones, tablets, eBook readers, digital cameras, gaming devices, etc. All of these items require charge time. I have plugs under my bed and in the bathroom and around the house to provide my devices with juice. Every plug socket in the house is used so charging space is a precious commodity. That’s where the Restore Charging Valet comes into play.
What this device does is provide you with a portable means to charge up to 3 USB powered devices, all packaged up neatly in a small travel kit.
What makes this Sharper Image device nice is the fact that it is designed for someone on the go. It has both a wall and car plug charger which fit into the provided case (on the left in the picture below). The base is on the right and it is in the folded-up-for-travel position.
Simply unfold the charging station and you are ready to charge 3 devices at once, including an iPad.
Inside the charge case is a compartment that holds 3 types of charging cables, one for an iOS device (the “old” type of cable), a miniUSB cable and a microUSB cable – and these 3 cables come with it.
There are two “wings” where you can put your smartphones or MP3 players which are padded so as to provide a protected surface for your devices.
There is also a drawer to hold an iPad while it is being charged. You can bring your own cables as well.
The ports on the Restore Charging Valet are labeled so that you know which one is more high-powered (10w) for use with an iPad for example and which two are low power (5w) – there are 3 ports total.
The Sharper Image Restore Charging Valet has a list price of $49.99, but on Amazon, you can currently get it for about $45.
On The Sharper Image website, you can find a product similar to the Restore, but more designed for smartphones called the Travel Charging Valet. This smaller version retails for $39.99 and you can pick this one up on Amazon for about the same price.
So, if you are looking for a high-end stocking stuffer, or a great gift for that gadget addict, or want to make a road warrior happy with a handy device that can charge three USB powered devices at once, you should probably take a look at these travel valet chargers from Sharper Image. Portability and usability are key this day and age and the Restore Charging Valet is both of these.
Disclosure Text : I have a material connection because I received a gift or sample of a product for consideration in preparing to write this content and/or monetary compensation. I was/am not expected to return this item or gift after my review period. All opinions within this article are my own and are not subject to the editorial review from any 3rd party. More information can be found in my About page as well as here.
HTD says: Make the special gadget-addicted people in your life happy with The Sharper Image Restore Charging Valet.
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