Travel Technology - Kensington vs. I-Go Juice Adapters

Background: I have: one (1) Sony Vaio TR3A, one (1) Siemens S55 tri-band phone, and one (1) I-Go Juice 70 which I use to power my Vaio in the air as well as on the ground while travelling. I carry the rather small charger for the Siemens in order to charge that in hotel rooms.

I have been very happy with the I-Go so far, but recently saw an advert for the Kensington in the UA in-flight mag, and saw that it was only 7 oz!!! Here is my question for the experts:
Is the Kensington going to handle all of my in-flight and on-ground needs for the laptop?? And, is it worth the money to upgrade to a 7oz brick rather than just keep my I-Go which is really pretty heavy. I also saw that Kensington provided a "dual-charging" adapter which would allow me to forgo my extra Siemens charger (despite the fact that it is terribly light anyway!)

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide....
Best wishes, Dave

The Juice does have dual power for cell phones, I use it for my Samsung phone and ThinkPad and it works like a charm

For the weight, it doesn't matter to me

I guess you are talking about the 120watt Kensington Anywhere Adapter (Model number: 33197)?

I have the Kensington 120watt Auto/Air adapter (Model number: 33196) which has the same form factor and the thing is very thin and very light.

There is a dual power adapter for it (Model number: 38013) that allows one to charge two devices.

Yes, Tigger, that's correct.....I don't know the model numbers, but the 120watt is what I'm interested in.....My real question is whether this thing is "light" and "small" enough to pick one up even tho my I-Go is working just fine. (Unfortunately, the "tip" required to power my Siemens S55 is "not available", so I can't use the dual charging thingy!)

Thanks! Dave

If you do decide to get one, check out http://www.rebateplace.com/detail.cfm?id=34680&disp=Accessories&sort=1&row=1&CFID=2763253&CFTOKEN=73076900 (sorry for the long URL). It is some sort of free tip pack if you buy before the end of November.

Also, right now CompUSA has a $20 rebate on the unit. I may pick one up to try on an upcoming trip...

So I actually have two aftermarket adaptors now.

One is the Igo Juice 70 (I think mine is an earlier model that only puts out 65W)
and a Kensington rebadged igo which I got for the funny retractable cable.

That being said, the IGO stats for the latest model is

5.4 x 2.2 x 1.05” (137.16 x 55.88 x 26.67mm)
Unit Weight: 8.6oz (243.81g)

--

However I cannot seem to find stats on the Kengsinton Model that people are talking about.

I'm all for saving more weight and size. Can anyone who has the model actually chime in on some specs and comparisons?

Thanks!

Here is more info:

http://us.kensington.com/html/6368.html

I have both the 70W Igo. Recently have switched to this one as it it lighter and flatter than the Igo. However I am not very fond of the connector tip as it sticks straight out instead of the sideways like the Igo.

5.5 x 3.0 x 0.5”
6.8oz
The AC wall cable is much shorter that the Igo.

I hope thay come out with the 70W anywhere adapter (make it more lighter and slimmer) as I do not need 120W of power for my laptop.

I've been using the Juice for several years with three different laptops, and I've been very happy with it. It works in hotel rooms, on airplanes, and in the car. My complaint is that I still need a separate charger for my digital camera (Sony DSC-F707). It takes a special connector and none of the aftermarket chargers have it. The same is true of my Treo 650, but I have a USB sync/charger cable that I can use to charge it off of my laptop. What is the marketing strategy that makes every consumer electronics product require a slightly different charger tip and voltage/amperage rating?

I'm also looking at the Kensington adapter.

I thought they used to be the same as igo just rebranded?

Anyway, for the 120W adapter, I can't find one for ibm thinkpads (T40/X40). Any help?

I'm also looking at the Kensington adapter.

I thought they used to be the same as igo just rebranded?

Anyway, for the 120W adapter, I can't find one for ibm thinkpads (T40/X40). Any help?

they don't make a tip for it?

I'm also looking at the Kensington adapter.

I thought they used to be the same as igo just rebranded?

Anyway, for the 120W adapter, I can't find one for ibm thinkpads (T40/X40). Any help?

Kensington site lists the N2 TIP for X40/T40 and
The 120W Anywhere adapter includes the TIP

Do any retail stores stock the tips for the Kensington or the dual charger cable? How about a store/kiosk in IAD (will be there tomorrow afternoon)? I'm too impatient to order them from Kensington.

I bought the anywhere Kensington 120W at Best Buy a few days ago, and of the local biggies (Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA) they were the only ones to stock it and didn't have any of the accessories. I'll get by with the N9 and iPod tips for now, but I want more, many more.

I'm too impatient to order them from Kensington.

Doh. I presumed the rebate offer I'd seen on the United flight applied to a purchase made anywhere, rather than just at Circuit City or online with Kensington. Maybe I will be patient, at least for the dual charging, after all.

Do any retail stores stock the tips for the Kensington or the dual charger cable? How about a store/kiosk in IAD (will be there tomorrow afternoon)? I'm too impatient to order them from Kensington.

I bought the anywhere Kensington 120W at Best Buy a few days ago, and of the local biggies (Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA) they were the only ones to stock it and didn't have any of the accessories. I'll get by with the N9 and iPod tips for now, but I want more, many more.

I have seen may different TIPS at Circuit City(Gaithersburg, MD) for 9.99

Do any retail stores stock the tips for the Kensington or the dual charger cable?

As a followup to my question, I bought the dual charger cable and a few more tips, and while it'll probably work out okay, I am a bit disappointed at its limitations.

The dual cable allows one "notebook" (12-24V) device and one "low-watt" (0-12V) device. You can't have two "low-watt" devices simultaneously (the physical connectors will not allow it).

Normally, my laptop gets recharged while I work in the evening, and I'll usually talk on the cell or listen to an iPod at the same time. Before going to bed I'll plug in all the things that need to get topped off before morning. I had hoped to use the dual cable to charge the iPod and cell phone together, or when on vacation (sans laptop), two cell phones, or phones and cameras, etc.

With the length of the dual charger cables, it doesn't seem practical to use it anywhere but at a desk with plenty of space. An extension cord that connected at the tip end would seem helpful. I'll be on planes and reclining on hotel beds next week, so will find out for sure then.

As a followup to my question, I bought the dual charger cable and a few more tips, and while it'll probably work out okay, I am a bit disappointed at its limitations.

The dual cable allows one "notebook" (12-24V) device and one "low-watt" (0-12V) device. You can't have two "low-watt" devices simultaneously (the physical connectors will not allow it).

Normally, my laptop gets recharged while I work in the evening, and I'll usually talk on the cell or listen to an iPod at the same time. Before going to bed I'll plug in all the things that need to get topped off before morning. I had hoped to use the dual cable to charge the iPod and cell phone together, or when on vacation (sans laptop), two cell phones, or phones and cameras, etc.

With the length of the dual charger cables, it doesn't seem practical to use it anywhere but at a desk with plenty of space. An extension cord that connected at the tip end would seem helpful. I'll be on planes and reclining on hotel beds next week, so will find out for sure then.

The igo has the same functionality too. 1 laptop and 1 other device.

With the length of the dual charger cables, it doesn't seem practical to use it anywhere but at a desk with plenty of space. An extension cord that connected at the tip end would seem helpful. I'll be on planes and reclining on hotel beds next week, so will find out for sure then.

My first use of the Kensington and dual charger in the field has resulted in a fried power supply. I'm not sure what failed (the dual charger has a burned smell, the main charger doesn't work with a single connector), but while laying in a bed last night I heard a sizzle sound, got a whiff of an electrical fire, and watched my laptops display dim as it switched to battery power.

I had the dual charger with the N9 tip plugged into the laptop and the G1 (game boy advance) tip dangling on the side. I also had a USB cable plugged into the laptop in close proximity, but I don't think it had any exposed metal. I suspect the G1 tip touched either the exposed portion of the N9 tip or the laptops VGA connector. When I get home I can check with a multimeter if there is any voltage across them.

Not sure if there is any circuitry in the tips to identify the voltage needs, but at least the N9 tip is still working (haven't tried the G1 yet).

Fortunately there was a nearby Circuit City with both parts in stock, and I'm back to working (of note, the first 120W I bought from Best Buy included a large selection of laptop tips, this new one from Circuit City has no tips but a carrying case).

I've had both the iGo Juice and the Kensington 120. I liked the iGo Juice, but it wouldn't work with my (then) new Dell 700m, which I believe is 90W. I found out about the Kensington also from a little card on an AA flight.

I've only used it for a couple of days, but I like it. No, it's not perfect, but it beats lugging around a laptop brick and an iPod brick. I, too, use a USB sync/charge cable for my Treo, though there should be a tip for it around January. It would be nice to charge 2 low-watt devices at once, and the dual-tip adapter cable is a little awkward. My iPod was practically on top of my laptop when charging them both.

Circuit City does have the tips. The have the widest availability of all the Kensington tips I found online.

I liked the iGo Juice, but it wouldn't work with my (then) new Dell 700m, which I believe is 90W.

The 700m draws 65 watts.