Can’t live without your iPod or portable speaker or other device that can only be charged using a USB cable? Of course, you could just go out and shell out a few extra bucks to buy a separate charger. Or you could just install the U-Socket USB Wall Plug on your wall instead.
Aside from having two three-pronged outlets, this wall plug also has two extra USB charging ports that supply up to 2.1 Amps through each. Some minor assembly is required though, so we don’t recommend this wall plug for people who don’t know how to install their own wall sockets.
Your cellphone, for instance, probably recharges over USB. The manufacturer was kind enough to give you a wall-outlet dongle that converts the 110 volts coming out of your wall outlet into 5 volts of USB power. That’s fine, but you’ll either lose an outlet with that adapter, or you’ll misplace the dongle, and you’ll have to plug into your computer, and that’s not always convenient.
Some enterprising engineers at Fastmac realized how easy it would be to just build the transformers right into the wall outlets! Put 2 USB ports in the wall plate next to the 110 volt sockets, and you’ve doubled the versatility of your power line. We just happened to get a hold of a handful of these outlets, and brought them to you because, well, we think they’re pretty awesome.
U-Socket USB Wall Plug
- Guaranteed to charge all mobile phones that accept USB power, including iPhone 4!
- Operation temperature: 0 to 35 Degrees Celsius (32 to 95 Degrees Fahrenheit)
- Input voltage: AC 100 to 125V 50/60Hz
- Output voltage: USB: DC 5.0V 2100mA (2.1 amps)
You can get the U-Socket USB Wall Plug from ThinkGeek for $24.99 each. Also available at Amazon.com.
8 Comments
Need that !…….. with french 220V sockets.
Does it exist ?
So which wall socket would you recommend “for people who don’t know how to install their own wall sockets?”
Sure! Two-twenty, 221…whatever. 🙂
Nice promotional piece, but doesn’t this outlet cost more than a USB-to-AC adapter? I have like 3 of those that came with various purchases, then theres the universal cell phone chargers for all non-appple cell phones.. why do I need this?
Tim, this should be installed in every hotel, motel, waiting room, doctor/dentist offices. “Why do I need this?” you ask, well when your battery is dead and you need to call the airline about your lost luggage you probably don’t have your 3 chargers since they are in your lost luggage. And since you are paying a un-godly sum for a ‘Crapple’ data phone you probably don’t want phone charges on your hotel bill!!
Pks29733steel, you are exactly right. I always carry my usb phone charging cord with me everywhere I go. It’s just an extra length of cord to stuff in your pocket. I think anyone who would put something like that in their lost luggage would be f-ing retarded, but since i’m in the habit of stuffing things in my pocket that will come up in such a rare occasion, this product would be useless for me since I drag around a solar usb charger every where I go. “What if it is night time?” you say? Well, I also keep a 1500 watt Honda gas generator in my back pocket as well. “That is quite a bit of overkill to just charge a cell phone!” you might exclaim in disbelief, but you’d be surprised how many times having 4 120V sockets has come in handy. Stuck at the airport and pretty hungry but don’t want to spend so much money on those ridiculous prices in the terminal? No problem, I also lug around a portable electric grill with me, as well as a small 3’x1′ rolling cooler packed with various raw meets, cheeses and spices. What about when you see a car broken down on the side of the road? Yep, covered for that too. Since it’s just an extra length of 8′ cable, I haul jumpers around as well. I could go on and on about how useful these very convenient items are, but I think you get the point. This product certainly would be useful to be able to charge your phone if you are smart enough to carry around the required cable, and it definitely justifies the costs it would take to replace several thousand outlets in any given hotel or airport. Stay classy, Pks29733steel 🙂
Does no one see the issue of phantom power by never being able to un- plug these transformers? Unless the outlet you are replacing these with is controlled by a switch it is constantly using electricity to produce the 5V DC needed by the USB port. Read up on what ac adapters do when you leave them plugged in and know these are doing just that before you buy them.
OK the usb gives out 2.1 amps or about 5 volts what happens if your Ipod, Ipad, Iphone, or cellphone needs more amps/volts or less, because if you charge your Ipod, Ipad, Iphone, or cellphone with more amps/volts then it needs it will ruin the battery and it will take longer to charge if the item needs like 3.1 or more. So does this item produce as much as the item needs or just 2.1 amps/5 volts.