ThingCharger: A new charger for all your things

Clearly it struck a nerve, and a clever design. I've lobbied for a 'DC' outlet strip where I could plug in like a half dozen iGo tips which would automatically regulate to the correct voltage. Of course now with everything going 5V (which is kind of funky since as a engineer it irritates me that even embedded designs now need both a 5v and 3.3v supply) this is made much simpler.

I'm very surprised this was so heavily backed, given the limited number of physical spaces it can occupy.

What percentage of the outlets in your home are accessible?

What percentage of those outlets would you want to keep all of your devices on?

This looks great for devices that have their charging area centered on the device. My Nexus 10's USB port is near a corner. Personally, I'd be happier if everything used Qi wireless charging.

I'd rather have an replacement faceplate that has a micro-USB connector that you can swing out to charge things. (They already have ones with a USB socket, which is great too.)

http://www.lowes.com/pd_369050-63374-WP2UWR_4294689722__?pro...

One major problem that I see -- all of my outlets (and all the ones that I've seen in any recent construction) are horizontal, not vertical. So this would definitely not work for quite a number of people. Unless they also have a horizontal version, but I didn't see that on their page (except for their European versions).

For a second I hoped someone decided to build the universal charger I dream of: http://www.splitbrain.org/blog/2012-11/24-christmas_wish_uni...

Well, I guess I have to dream on.

Meh, I charge my devices when I drive or when I sleep. The plugs near my bed are by the floor, so I need the cable to keep the phone on my bed. The iPad is in a Griffin Milspec case and wouldn't work with this- cord it is. Nice idea, but wouldn't work for my family.

I would be concerned about breaking off a connector if the device fell off.