CES 2012

No More Wall Warts

Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jan 17, 2012

Somebody at Newer Technology finally got fed up with all the USB wall wart chargers taking up all the available outlets - not to mention looking like a charger jigsaw puzzle. The company's Power2U AC/USB wall outlet combines two AC wall outlets with a pair of powered USB ports that'll charge and power up to four iOS/Android/etc devices - including being able to charge the amperage-hungry iPad. Unlike traditional wall-wart power supplies, the USB charging ports in the Power2U utilize a "Smart Power" design that is supposed to reduce your energy consumption costs by providing only the charging amount necessary for the connected devices, as well as turn off power to the USB ports when the connecting cable is removed. Safety shutters over the USB ports slide closed when not in use.

The UL-Listed Power2U installs into a standard single-gang outlet box (16 cubic inches or larger) with a 15A circuit and comes with detailed instructions for the intrepid do-it-yourselfer. In fact, Newer Technology says it can be installed in as little as 20 minutes. At the moment, the wall outlets are only available in an off-white finish. The wall plate itself has small caps to cover the wall plate's screws. The Power2U AC/USB wall outlets are available now for $39.95/each. But if my house is any kind of a guide, you'll need more than just one to satisfy all your voracious portable devices.

COMMENTS
brianlangevin's picture
Submitted by brianlangevin on February 11, 2012 - 7:31am

Installed the Power2U recently and I am pleased with it. It charges everything I have tried although my Blackberry complains that it may not charge correctly even though it always does.

The instructions regarding the receptacle box size and number of wires should not be taken lightly. This outlet takes up a lot of space in the box and can be quite a challenge to shoe horn into place. It looks great and performs well.

Do search the WEB for pricing. OWC has sent me many marketing emails for it so when I was ready to buy that was the first place I looked. Unfortunately with S&H they were about $10 (30%) more than their closest competitor. I even went to the trouble of letting them know and they said their pricing is by agreement. The stranger thing is that even though I didn't buy it from OWC, it was shipped from OWC.

oldgarryman's picture
Submitted by oldgarryman on January 14, 2013 - 5:19am

USB functionality is nowadays quite important to charge mobile device without electric chargers. I've installed USB functionality within my room wall plates and it's really reduced my charger finding efforts everyday. Thanks.
Covalin in sudbury

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