by Alan J. Pierce, EdD

PowerSlice by Fuse (Power Base $49.99 + Slices $9.99 each)

Every rechargeable electronic device comes with its own plug in charger. So consumers end up with a tangle of wires plugged into a wall or power strip. Many

companies have developed systems to remove the clutter and perhaps the newest one is a very interesting looking charging station by Fuse that

they named PowerSlice.

The name of the product describes its functionality. The product consists of a round power base ($49.99) that is designed to hold 4 charging slices ($9.99 each). See product photos. You need to purchase the base and the slices that you will need to charge your different devices. So a PowerSlice that is setup to

charge 4 devices, not on sale, will cost $89.95.

In a sense you are building your own charging station that contains the exact charging plugs that you need to charge your devices. The station itself will work with less than 4 powered slices installed so you only

have to purchase the slices that you need. For the product to be used safely you do need to install at least 2 slices. If you want to be able to

charge 4 iPods at the same time – no problem you would just load your base with 4 iPod slices.

They call their device a universal charger because they include a USB port on the

base so you can add a device with an unsupported plug. The manual indicates that some

USB powered products might not charge when they are plugged into the base. During testing of the product all of my devices did charge with a slice or the USB outlet on the base.

Conclusion

The system looks great but plugging some devices into tiny slice connectors is more difficult than it looks. The documentation warns you that the company isn’t responsible for any improper or incorrect use. You could damage your device by trying to plug it into the wrong connector or damage it if you are misaligned when trying to plug it into the correct connector.

Alan is co-author of Introduction to Technology

Glencoe McGraw-Hill 2010

and a TechDirections Magazine Columnist . Visit www.techtoday.us

for past columns and resources.