Jan. 10, 2013 at 9:20 PM ET
The Consumer Electronics Show, in particular, has a way of reminding some of us of how annoying carrying around USB cables can be. We need them to charge and sync our mobile devices ... but they somehow inevitably turn into a tangled mess. Well, no more of that.
The Charge Card looks like cut-up credit card — albeit it is a bit thicker, measuring in at 0.1 inches — and it can easily be slipped into your wallet or a teeny-tiny pocket. It has a fold out "tongue" which ends with a USB plug and a tip which is either a microUSB or iPhone connector. (There are old-school iPhone connectors as well as a Lightning version for the iPhone 5, though that one's not going to be available for a few months.)
While the Charge Card I tried out was merely an early prototype unit, it was pretty sturdy and worked like a charm. One end went into an iPhone and the other into my laptop's USB port. The phone quietly chirped as if I'd plugged it in using any standard connector cable.
The Charge Card will set you back $25 and you can pre-order it now (it should start shipping in a few weeks). Those who pre-ordered a Charge Card as part of its maker's Kickstarter project will of course be the first to receive theirs.
Want more tech news or interesting links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.
Video: CES is packed with the newest gadgets, devices and apps. NBCNews.com's Wilson Rothman runs through Las Vegas looking for the best.
Video: CES is a cornucopia of the latest gadgets, many of them claiming high levels of durability. NBCNews.com's Rosa Golijan seeks out the most durable cases, devices and accessories to see if she can break any of them.
