Charge your cell phone for $3

While waiting at Las Vegas' McCarran airport for my flight home to San Francisco, I spotted one of the most interesting things I've seen during my CTIA trip. Sitting between a water fountain and the restrooms was a nifty cell phone charging stand. For $3, it delivers 30 minutes of charging time, which can be just enough juice if your phone is dying but you left your charger in your checked luggage. The machine included connectors for 12 types cell phones, including Kyocera, Samsung, Nokia, Palm Treo, RIM BlackBerry, LG, and Nokia. It also had connectors for iPods and the iPhone. Though I didn't test the charging station, there was one thing about it that struck me as troublesome. Unless you want to risk your phone being stolen, you'd have to stay next to the machine while it's charging your phone. Who wants to sit outside the bathroom for a half hour?