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Accessories I recommend this car charger

AJ_EVO

Android Enthusiast
Jun 8, 2010
573
114
Orange County
The Scosche USB12V2. It has two 1A (1000mA) USB ports. Most car chargers are 500-600mA which means the phone is barely charging if you are using it for GPS, etc. Since it has standard USB ports, you can charge a plethora of devices.

$9.56 shipped from Amazon if you have Amazon Prime, otherwise you have to pay a few bucks for shipping.

31QKYmIkRfL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
Over the weekend I purchased a Griffin Powerjolt dual universal car adapter from BB:

8733-PJDU.jpg


It has two half-circular green LED's to show when each USB connector is active. When my phone isn't plugged into the car dock the LED is dark. I like this a whole lot better than the VZW branded car charger that I got last week that has a red LED that's illuminated all the time.

Griffin Technology - PowerJolt Dual Universal USB Car Charger - Black - 10027-PJLTUN2B powerjolt&cp=1&lp=1

Griffin Technology: PowerJolt Dual Universal - Car charger for USB devices
 
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I just bought 2. Apparently the Moto chargers @ 950mA was barely enough for GPS and Nav system over bluetooth and a small charge. Adding music drained the battery.

The PowerJolt Plus is rated at 1000mA, I couldn't find the output on the one with two USB plugs. I have a feeling the Moto charger isn't truly 950mA.
 
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So I took an 1.5 hour car trip using my droid x while using the following:

Maps navigation
Pandora radio streaming to bluetooth audio in my car
screen at full brightness

So basically the phone was using all radios to MAX capacity. It worked without a hitch, but when I got home my previously fully charged battery was at about half. I was using the motorola car dock with a USB car adapter rated at 5.0v~700mA.

I'm going assume this is not putting out enough power to keep it charged in this scenario. I ordered the Motorola P513 Vehicle Power Adapter MicroUSB Rapid Rate Charger from amazon. Hopefully this has enough amperage to keep up?

It was only like 5 or 6 bucks so if I need something else not a huge deal I guess. Thoughts?
 
Upvote 0
So I took an 1.5 hour car trip using my droid x while using the following:

Maps navigation
Pandora radio streaming to bluetooth audio in my car
screen at full brightness

So basically the phone was using all radios to MAX capacity. It worked without a hitch, but when I got home my previously fully charged battery was at about half. I was using the motorola car dock with a USB car adapter rated at 5.0v~700mA.

I'm going assume this is not putting out enough power to keep it charged in this scenario. I ordered the Motorola P513 Vehicle Power Adapter MicroUSB Rapid Rate Charger from amazon. Hopefully this has enough amperage to keep up?

It was only like 5 or 6 bucks so if I need something else not a huge deal I guess. Thoughts?

I honestly don't think a different charger will make a difference! When the GPS is active it does not look like the phone will charge. In my mind there is some logic that might explain this. The GPS heats up the phone pretty significantly. The effective life span of a battery is reduced by extreme heat. If the battery attempts to charge the phone during a period of high heat it might, over time, compromise the battery.

Whether or not this is, in fact, true I'll leave to someone with more knowledge of such matters. I'm simply taking pot shots in the dark! :D
 
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The Scosche USB12V2. It has two 1A (1000mA) USB ports. Most car chargers are 500-600mA which means the phone is barely charging if you are using it for GPS, etc. Since it has standard USB ports, you can charge a plethora of devices.

$12.71 shipped from Amazon if you have Amazon Prime, otherwise you have to pay a few bucks for shipping.

31QKYmIkRfL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I bought one of these off Newegg.com last year for $6 shipped. Used it with my 3GS and the wife's WinMo phone. It's great. :D
 
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