Engadget has published a review of the FastMac U-Socket, a duplex AC receptacle with built-in USB ports.
Last May, FastMac announced a delay in the release of the U-Socket due to a safety redesign required by the UL/Safety Agencies; however, it is now shipping albeit with a bit of wait.
Contrary to outward appearances, the complete unit is actually quite a bit bigger than a standard power outlet, and it requires at least a 16-cubic-inch electrical box to accommodate it. That meant we had to swap out our smaller electrical box for a larger one, which may or may not be an easy thing for you to do (it wasn't for us). Once in place, however, the U-Socket looks unassuming and gets the job done. The two USB 3.0-compliant ports have 12W of total charging power and are rated at 2.4A, which means it will charge a single power-hungry device like an iPad at full speed just fine, but slow things down if you plug two in at the same time (two lower power devices will charge just fine at the same time). You can also obviously have things plugged into the two power outlets while your USB devices are charging.
You can order a U-Socket now for $22.95. Shipping is delayed by 4-6 weeks until FastMac catches up with demand.
Read More [via Engadget]
Last May, FastMac announced a delay in the release of the U-Socket due to a safety redesign required by the UL/Safety Agencies; however, it is now shipping albeit with a bit of wait.
Contrary to outward appearances, the complete unit is actually quite a bit bigger than a standard power outlet, and it requires at least a 16-cubic-inch electrical box to accommodate it. That meant we had to swap out our smaller electrical box for a larger one, which may or may not be an easy thing for you to do (it wasn't for us). Once in place, however, the U-Socket looks unassuming and gets the job done. The two USB 3.0-compliant ports have 12W of total charging power and are rated at 2.4A, which means it will charge a single power-hungry device like an iPad at full speed just fine, but slow things down if you plug two in at the same time (two lower power devices will charge just fine at the same time). You can also obviously have things plugged into the two power outlets while your USB devices are charging.
You can order a U-Socket now for $22.95. Shipping is delayed by 4-6 weeks until FastMac catches up with demand.
Read More [via Engadget]