My stocking-stuffer for 2005 comes from Japan. A truly pocket-sized USB charger which can be used to top up your iPod’s battery, cellphone or anything else that takes USB as its power source.
The unit, made by a company called Filco (not be confused with Philco who made radios back in the 1920s and ’30s) sells for about $10 in Japan. I found several other brands with essentially the same design, but Filco is the price leader. The unit is about half the size of the one you can buy from Apple. Input voltage is 100 – 240V so it will work anywhere in the world with the right plug adapter. The AC plug is not removable, but folds in as you can see in the picture. Hopefully some US-based supplier will import these soon.
(Contributed by Ole Jacobsen)
My stocking-stuffer for 2005 comes from Japan. A truly pocket-sized USB charger which can be used to top up your iPod’s battery, cellphone or anything else that takes USB as its power source.
The unit, made by a company called Filco (not be confused with Philco who made radios back in the 1920s and ’30s) sells for about $10 in Japan. I found several other brands with essentially the same design, but Filco is the price leader. The unit is about half the size of the one you can buy from Apple. Input voltage is 100 – 240V so it will work anywhere in the world with the right plug adapter. The AC plug is not removable, but folds in as you can see in the picture. Hopefully some US-based supplier will import these soon.
(Contributed by Ole Jacobsen)
