Knight Ridder News Service
September 23, 2003
Laptops can give cell phones a jolt
Knight Ridder News Service
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
There you are in an airport, in a cab, or somewhere where there's no AC power.
Fortunately, your trusty notebook computer has a full charge.
Unfortunately, your trusty mobile phone is about to die.
Too bad you couldn't somehow take the power from your notebook and channel it into your cell phone. Well this "shared power" concept is exactly the idea behind Keyspan's latest offering in their Zip-Linq Retractable Cables.
The Zip-Linq is a USB phone charge cable that draws power from your notebook and lets you charge up your cell phone. If there's no AC outlet, you must decide whether it's your PC or your cell phone that is more important at the moment.
But at least with the Zip-Linq, you have that decision to make. Of course, when you do have access to an AC outlet, the Zip-Linq is still useful since you might not be carrying around your phone's charger base. With the Zip-Linq, users can talk on their mobile phones as long as they like. In this scenario, the notebook acts like the charger as the cell phone draws its power from the plugged- in laptop.
The Zip-Linq line of cables is designed to accommodate the road warrior. The tiny 3.5-inch cable consists of a USB plug at one end and a cell phone adapter at the other. Depending on the make and model of the cell phone, Keyspan includes several adapters in each kit to work with the unit.
Select the proper charger plug that fits your cell phone and insert that into the Zip- Linq's adapter plug. The Zip-Linq's two plugs are joined by a tiny reel that unwinds a connection cable that spans up to 30 inches, which is impressive for something that small, Just pull on both ends and the cable releases with a series of tiny mechanical clicks. Let go and the cable remains extended.
A slight pull and the reel automatically retracts the cable via its spring-loaded mechanism.
Keyspan makes Zip-Linq versions for a wide variety of cell phones including Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson, Sanyo and Siemens. Check Keyspan's Web site, www.keyspan.com, for supported phones.
All of them are fully compatible with both PC and Mac portables. Prices range fron $21.99 to 29.99 depending upon the phone manufacturer
(C) 2003 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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