Review: RadTech ACpower

review by Bill Palmer

Most USB chargers for iPhone and iPod are too generic to even write about, particularly when you consider that the iPhone comes with a wall charger of its own. But even among the most simplistic of accessory categories, every once in awhile a product comes along that sufficiently stands out that it merits individual coverage. For USB car chargers, that was the case with the new micro-chargers from various vendors that more or less disappear into your car’s charging port. And while such magic doesn’t quite exist when it comes to USB wall chargers, RadTech’s ACpower has a few things going for it that motivated me to park the wall charger that came with my iPhone and adopt this one instead.



First, the obvious: it can charge more than one USB device. Whether that’s multiple iPhones and/or iPods, or an iPhone and an external battery, or any other USB-based product, you can charge them both without needing to travel with two chargers or finding two available power outlets. But what sealed it for me is that while the wall charger bundled with the iPhone 3G and 3GS is pretty tiny, the prongs don’t fold up like they did on the charger that came with the original iPhone. As a result, I had been (until this product came along) traveling with my original iPhone’s charging brick instead of the newer one, as I wasn’t about to throw a charger with unprotected prongs into my suitcase where they could get bent up. Now I’ve parked it too, as the ACpower offers the same fold-up functionality but with two USB ports.



But in truth, I wouldn’t be writing about this product if not for its price tag: fifteen bucks. Even for a generic-looking charger that doesn’t do anything innovative or different, the price makes this too strong of an offering not to tell you about – even if I am left feeling overwhelmingly nerdy for having written three paragraphs about a plain old charging brick.

Learn more about the ACpower at RadTech.us.