apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The charger is lovely and a great idea. I thought of it as a holiday gift for my husband. But it's nearly $300! So pricey: why?

Terry, I had exactly the same sticker shock.

Right, Pixie?
I wonder whether I could just make something like it. What do you think?

You could make something AND sell it on Ebay.

Hey Pixie, do you want to try to make this with me?

Why is it expensive? Well, it is sold through DWR, which everyone I know refers to as Design Out of Reach.

I refer to it as Design Within Someone Else's Reach.

It irks me that everybody designs anything remotely electronic to match the Ipod. (previously: imacs. Yes, Apple is a design leader but can't anybody come up with equally good, different ideas?) As a desktop item I think the charger would be much better as a cylinder--the "bucket" shape is a nonsensical waste of space.

Thanks Terry, but I think I'll stick with my "charging shelf" on my tv stand that I'm using as a credenza, where I put all my chargers, with the cords hidden by snaking through a hole in the back. I think the charging gizmo above is a $300 white elephant, AKA clutter.

Yeah, this is a foolish design. The bucket is small, so it has to sit on a table. If you have a table, why not simply place your phone/ipod on it to charge? I've never encountered a situation where I was looking for a place to put my electronics while charging.

A far better solution are the charging pads that some places are starting to make. It's like a mouse pad that you just drop your electronics on and it charges them. I'm excited for those to hit the stores, because then you don't need to deal with a bundle of different chargers.

The little charger thing is super cool, but gah! $300? Pixie+Terry -- share yours when you do it, okay?

I keep my iPod near the door, but my cell phone near the window where I [kinda] get service. Both of the chargers just sit out in the open. Maybe this is on my decluttering wishlist...

300 bones? Yeeesh. I have something that I purchased from Home Depot called The Charging Station (or something like that) for about 40 bucks. It's a cradle that allows me to simultaneously charge my cell phone, Blackberry, iPod, and one more handheld appliance. All of the cords are tucked into a single case below the cradle--a simple cord management system. It's butt-ugly and doesn't have the DWR pedigree, but it does the trick. (It's tucked away in one of the lower cubbies of my IKEA Expedit bookcase. So, you don't release notice it.)

Found the link. The unit is called The Power Station. This site has it on sale for $19.95. Again, not as pretty as DWR version, but for $20 it will satisfy the needs of those who want to de-clutter! http://www.welovemacs.com/20140.html

Wasn't there a show on HGTV that featured a home with a drawer specifically designed for charging phones, etc? I have a vague memory of this guy talking about creating it and having the electical plugs right in the drawer so they could pop their phones, etc. in there at night and just grab them inthe morning. My only concern would be the "out of sight, out of mind" thing - I'd likely forget to grab my phone in the morning if it wasn't right next to my keys.