Get a 3-in-1 sync/charge cable for $6.99
Tired of carrying a rat's nest of cables for all your mobile devices? This gives you Mini-USB, Micro-USB, and Apple 30-pin all in one cord.
Someday, all syncing and charging will be done wirelessly. (The syncing is pretty much there, actually.) Until then, we remain slaves to cables.
This is especially hassle-tastic if you have different kinds of mobile devices -- say, an iPhone, a Kindle, and a Bluetooth headset -- with different kinds of connectors. That means you have to deal with three separate sync/charge cables.
Or not, if you grab today's deal. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Groupon has the Nextware Trio 3-in-1 Sync and Charge Cable for $6.99, plus $2.99 for shipping. (Order three and shipping is gratis.) It normally sells for $19.95, and indeed many similar all-in-one cables fetch a similar price.
True to its name, the Trio offers a standard USB connector at one end and three commonly used tips at the other: Mini-USB, Micro-USB, and Apple 30-pin. These nestle together into a single plug until you slide them apart to get the tip you need.
The cable measures 3.2 feet and comes with a one-year warranty. This is definitely something worth tossing into your travel bag, especially for under 10 bucks out the door.
However, you can travel a little lighter still with a similar option: B&H Photo has the Xtreme 3-in-1 cync/charge retractable USB cable for $5.31, plus $3.99 for shipping. So instead of an easily tangled 3-foot cable, you get a spring-loaded retractable 3-foot cable that spools up to little more than its connectors when not in use.
Based on my experience, those spools are pretty delicate, pretty easy to break, but it's still a more travel-friendly solution overall. And about 60 cents less than the Nextware product. Woo!
My advice: grab one or the other. Very handy.
Bonus deal: An iPhone/iPod speaker dock that's also a projector? Sign me up! While supplies last, Moofi has the refurbished Optoma GT200 LED projector for $249.99, plus $5 for shipping. (It sells new for about $100 more.) This entertainment-savvy projector can play audio and video from your docked 30-pin iDevice, but also has an HDMI input for use with game consoles, Blu-ray players, and the like. It can project a 10-foot image and delivers 150 LED lumens. If you're interested, read my review of its less-capable predecessor, the 50-lumens Optoma Neo-i. It sold for $450 just two years ago.
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