I have had my eye on Griffin's stumpy little set of USB cables for some time. They look very useful for traveling, but they cost an absolute fortune. Here in Europe, you have to pay €30, or $43, for three cables you already have. However, yesterday in the Barcelona Apple Store I was son
pleased with my shiny new replacement iPad 2 (swapped out thanks to a dead mic) that I decided to buy them. I'm glad I did.
The kit consists of three stubby cables barely longer than my thumb (I have big thumbs). All have a standard USB plug at one end, and on the other you have a 30-pin dock connector, a Mini USB plug and a Micro USB Plug. With these cables, you have pretty much any syncing or charging situation covered.
Why buy them? They're tough, and they're impossible to tangle. Even the cables in the most well-maintained gadgeteer's travel bag will eventually snake around each other into a rat's nest of tangled hell. With these short, stiff little sticks you just toss them into any bag and they will remain defiantly independent of even the most promiscuous connectors therein.
They're also tough. The rubbery shaft connecting the two plugs bends, but is thick enough that the copper strands within remain protected. I can't see these braking anytime soon. A good thing too, considering the price.
They sound perfect, but for one thing. They're not so easy to use.
These cables are best when used with a notebook. You Kindle, camera or iPad can sit on the table beside the laptop and the cable can join the two. Try hooking one of these into the back of a 27-inch iMac and it won't even reach the desk. And if you want to charge something directly from a mains adapter, you'd better be happy leaving it on the floor. As you can see above, charging an iPad is possible, but not very practical.
Still, I'll be tossing these into my travel bag next time I take a trip. If nothing else, I'll know I didn't just bring along three of the same adapter like I usually do.
The Griffin USB Mini-Cable Kit is available now, and costs just $25 in the U.S.
USB Mini-Cable Kit [Griffin]
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