USB-OTG is very handy. It allows someone to connect a variety of different USB devices to a tablet or mobile phone. Most often I've made use of a simple USB OTG cable to connect a flash drive or USB headset…
I really enjoyed my Nexus 7, so much so that after 18 months of use I bought myself the 2013 edition and gifted the original to a friend. I also had the much delayed charging stand for the original Nexus…
As you may know Stella and I both carry Nexus 4 cell phones. Under the Christmas tree there happened to be a Nexus 7 tablet to add to her gadget mix.
Since the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 are both capable of wireless charging I also bought her one of the Qi-compliant wireless chargers. Stella has a well-documented disdain for wires, so the wireless charger holds considerable appeal.
The Qi standard was created by Wireless Power Consortium in 2009. It’s simply mind-boggling how stupidly rare and costly wireless chargers remain, even though the technology should be by now well-established.
Google’s own Nexus wireless charger, a single position model, costs a whopping $50!
Looking on Amazon I find that there are a number of Qi wireless chargers 
Two position Qi wireless chargers
Hey, here’s a semi-geeky gift that they’re sure to get a charge out of…a high-current USB charger built into a common household receptacle. You may recall that I installed a couple of the FastMac USockets some time ago. There’s one…
In recent years the number of devices that we need to charge daily has constantly grown. Initially it was just our two cell phones. Since they each had unique power connectors each had its own AC adapter that lived near the appropriate night stand. Simple enough. Tidy even.
My Blackberry Bold 9700 was the first cell phone I used the featured the newly common micro-USB power connector. Shortly thereafter we added a Barnes & Noble Color Nook. Both of those devices require high-current chargers, where “high-current” means more than the 500 mA that is actually part of the USB standard.
That’s when things started getting more complicated. We may have achieved standardization of connectors, but still required dedicated chargers for some devices.
[Begin music: Beach Boys, “I Get Around”]
Recent projects have had me in Chicago, Milwaukee, Washington DC and Nashville. Suffice it to say that over the past few months I’ve rented cars on several occasions.
[Change music: Max Webster, “Battle Scar”]Most typically I book what the rental companies call an “SCAR.” That’s their code for a “Standard Car” but I’ve come to believe that it also describes the relationship between domestic auto makers and the auto renting public…scarred.