As you may know, recently I trialled the Vodafone HTC Magic. This I found to be a thorughly enjoyable experience and I’ve had no problems since recommending this handset to those to whom it would fit.
One thing I didn’t touch upon during the review however was the rather awesome pleasure of being able to charge my handset via USB.
This is not a new feature.
Many handsets have had this functionality built-in for years. Nokia however have only recently started to roll this out across their device range.
First dabbling with the 6500 and then later the E75, the two latest flagship devices – the N86 and the N97 – both come with USB charging out of the box.
So far so what?
Well, what about the other 30 or so million of us out there that don’t have a one of these devces?
What about us?
How do we charge our respective not-quite top-of-the-range-but-still-pretty-kick-ass-thank-you-very-much Nokias?
“Just use the blimmin’ charger you get in the box!” – I hear you cry.
Yes. Quite.
That’s all well and good but I don’t want to carry a standard Nokia charger around with me everywhere I go. No, I want to charge via USB.
The good news is that help is at hand in the rather slim shape of the Nokia CA-100 USB charger (pictured above) – Huzzah!
This is not a new accessory.
The pricing however, that’s a different story.
Allow me to explain.
I’ve owned several of these funky little things. Often just throwing them in my bag for later use and/or living with one constantly about my person wherever I go.
When I first bought one of these, it was back in August ’08 and at just £10, it was perfect; small, branded and guaranteed to get the job done.
Thing is, because they’re so damn small I got into the habit of losing them.
So I bought more. I bought them two at a time. I bought them for other people.
Ten English Pounds is Ten English Pounds and for someone like me, who doesn’t ever want to worry about where his next charge is coming from, the CA-100 is an essential piece of kit.
Recently I ran out (again) and so, off I trotted to my nearest Nokia store to stock up my latest bag of gadgets with USB charger loveliness to discover the price had been whacked up by a staggering 110%!
I’m sorry, what?
Why has something that was only £10 just under a year ago suddenly shot up in price like this?
I accosted one of the Sales Assistants in store and asked them what on Earth was going on.
“Er… Shipping and delivery costs have gone up.”
“What? And have ramped up the price by over 100%?”
“Er… Yeah. Sorry.”
I stormed out. Fuming.
You would think in this day and age the price of chargers would be decreasing not going up!
What to do next? Well, like any good mobile citizen I immediately jumped on the internet and got myself to the Nokia online store.
Obviously, what with there being very small overheads with any online marketplace, the price is bound to be fixed there… Surely?!
No.
£14.00 + Delivery
With delivery options as follows: Standard (3-5 Days) – £3.99. Express (1-2 Days) – £9.99.
So that’ll be £17.99 or £23.99 please, thank you very much.
I give up!
I’m going travelling very, very soon and I need something to keep me charged on the go. I simply cannot justfy paying DOUBLE for this accessory. I can’t.
Ridiculous.
Yes I know I can get a dodgy, knock-off version from eBay – but they’re dodgy and unreliable.
Why oh why are these things a) so damn expensive and b) so damn expensive TODAY when they were so damn cheap LAST YEAR.
Answers on a postcard please…
EXACT same thing happened to me. I remember the first one I purchase, cost me around 14 euros. I wanted to pick up a second about two months ago, it was up to 25 euros!
Welcome to the world of Capitalism and Recession.
That’s why I *only* buy phones or accessories which charge directly via mini-USB. Without faffing around with an adaptor.
It was *the* deciding factor for my BlackBerry, Jabra BT3030, HTC Magic, FreeLoader Solar Charger, MP4 Watch, Digital Camera, etc. I’ve got more USB cables than I know what to do with. Everyone has a spare USB port if I need some juice.
When I go on my travels I just take a single plug which takes a USB cable & I’m done. If I forget it, I can beg borrow or steal a connection literally anywhere. The U in USB may as well stand for Ubiquitous.
I’m glad that phone manufacturers are standardising on micro-USB for charging. Sure, I’ll have to buy a bunch of £1 cables again – but it will give me a wider selection of devices to play with.
C.A.P.I.T.A.L.I.S.M.
They’re swines…. and you cant blame a so-called ‘Recession’… this has been happening long before the invented crisis before us today.
Ebay?
James Whatley Reply:
July 1st, 2009 at 15:09
“Yes I know I can get a dodgy, knock-off version from eBay – but they’re dodgy and unreliable. ”
🙂
martyndavies Reply:
July 1st, 2009 at 20:09
Yep, I’ve got one of those, direct from China. You have to keep checking it to make sure that it’s still charging…..
Al Reply:
July 1st, 2009 at 20:10
If you’re buying and losing so many of these things, dodgy and unreliable becomes cheap and disposable. Buy a whole box full at £1 each from Hong Kong.
J Reply:
July 2nd, 2009 at 08:35
I bought one of those 2 years ago when I first got my N95 8Gb, I’ve been using it since, whenever I’m not at home. It lives in a pocket of my ruscac with all manner of detritus and never ceases to work perfectly. I think it cost £1.99.
You need to learn to stop losing things.
Amazon has it from various suppliers at around £10 shipped. Expansys (who I usually love!) want over £30 for it! http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=145013
Regardless, Nokia and firms like them are definitely gouging consumers on accessory pricing…
wow, that price is so ridiculous and when I initially saw, I told myself I want one for my n95 8gb but 14 pounds is like Twenty something dollars, its freaking crazy, Nokia should include that on all E and N series, c’mon its like we’re not paying them enough for these handsets, this is the kind off BS that just gets me fuming, something so simple and so essential and yet so freaking expensive. If all devices had the E71/N97 battery, then ok, I guess but 1200mah on the N95 and you know you need some juice more often than not. Enoughing ranting, good post James
I remember you talking about this a while ago when you first hosted the photo above. It is indeed shocking, and I cannot fathom the price hike either. It’s crazy. Now, i guess you know what I’m now about to suggest James. You have a Proporta Mobile Device Charger, why not use the supplied accessories with that? Have you lost these too?
i buy those cheapo here in shanghai for about 3 quid. works ok for me.
20 is just ripoff uk again .
i bought a fab in-car lighter charger which has 2 usb slots on top, to charge 2 devices at same time (although my iphone is constantly attached to one!) – it also comes with extendable usb cable with many tips for many phones – works an absolute treat – and was £7.99 bought at a “Total” Petrol station – the usb cable works on laptops too…
EXACT same thing happened to me. I remember the first one I purchase, cost me around 14 euros. I wanted to pick up a second about two months ago, it was up to 25 euros!
EXACT same thing happened to me. I remember the first one I purchase, cost me around 14 euros. I wanted to pick up a second about two months ago, it was up to 25 euros!
Welcome to the world of Capitalism and Recession.
Welcome to the world of Capitalism and Recession.
That's why I *only* buy phones or accessories which charge directly via mini-USB. Without faffing around with an adaptor.It was *the* deciding factor for my BlackBerry, Jabra BT3030, HTC Magic, FreeLoader Solar Charger, MP4 Watch, Digital Camera, etc. I've got more USB cables than I know what to do with. Everyone has a spare USB port if I need some juice.When I go on my travels I just take a single plug which takes a USB cable & I'm done. If I forget it, I can beg borrow or steal a connection literally anywhere. The U in USB may as well stand for Ubiquitous.I'm glad that phone manufacturers are standardising on micro-USB for charging. Sure, I'll have to buy a bunch of £1 cables again – but it will give me a wider selection of devices to play with.
That's why I *only* buy phones or accessories which charge directly via mini-USB. Without faffing around with an adaptor.
It was *the* deciding factor for my BlackBerry, Jabra BT3030, HTC Magic, FreeLoader Solar Charger, MP4 Watch, Digital Camera, etc. I've got more USB cables than I know what to do with. Everyone has a spare USB port if I need some juice.
When I go on my travels I just take a single plug which takes a USB cable & I'm done. If I forget it, I can beg borrow or steal a connection literally anywhere. The U in USB may as well stand for Ubiquitous.
I'm glad that phone manufacturers are standardising on micro-USB for charging. Sure, I'll have to buy a bunch of £1 cables again – but it will give me a wider selection of devices to play with.
C.A.P.I.T.A.L.I.S.M.They're swines…. and you cant blame a so-called 'Recession'… this has been happening long before the invented crisis before us today.
Ebay?
C.A.P.I.T.A.L.I.S.M.
They're swines…. and you cant blame a so-called 'Recession'… this has been happening long before the invented crisis before us today.
Ebay?
“Yes I know I can get a dodgy, knock-off version from eBay – but they’re dodgy and unreliable. “:)
“Yes I know I can get a dodgy, knock-off version from eBay – but they’re dodgy and unreliable. “
🙂
Amazon has it from various suppliers at around £10 shipped. Expansys (who I usually love!) want over £30 for it! http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=145013Regardless, Nokia and firms like them are definitely gouging consumers on accessory pricing…
Amazon has it from various suppliers at around £10 shipped. Expansys (who I usually love!) want over £30 for it! http://www.expansys.com/p.aspx?i=145013
Regardless, Nokia and firms like them are definitely gouging consumers on accessory pricing…
wow, that price is so ridiculous and when I initially saw, I told myself I want one for my n95 8gb but 14 pounds is like Twenty something dollars, its freaking crazy, Nokia should include that on all E and N series, c'mon its like we're not paying them enough for these handsets, this is the kind off BS that just gets me fuming, something so simple and so essential and yet so freaking expensive. If all devices had the E71/N97 battery, then ok, I guess but 1200mah on the N95 and you know you need some juice more often than not. Enoughing ranting, good post James
wow, that price is so ridiculous and when I initially saw, I told myself I want one for my n95 8gb but 14 pounds is like Twenty something dollars, its freaking crazy, Nokia should include that on all E and N series, c'mon its like we're not paying them enough for these handsets, this is the kind off BS that just gets me fuming, something so simple and so essential and yet so freaking expensive. If all devices had the E71/N97 battery, then ok, I guess but 1200mah on the N95 and you know you need some juice more often than not. Enoughing ranting, good post James
I remember you talking about this a while ago when you first hosted the photo above. It is indeed shocking, and I cannot fathom the price hike either. It's crazy. Now, i guess you know what I'm now about to suggest James. You have a Proporta Mobile Device Charger, why not use the supplied accessories with that? Have you lost these too?
I remember you talking about this a while ago when you first hosted the photo above. It is indeed shocking, and I cannot fathom the price hike either. It's crazy. Now, i guess you know what I'm now about to suggest James. You have a Proporta Mobile Device Charger, why not use the supplied accessories with that? Have you lost these too?
i buy those cheapo here in shanghai for about 3 quid. works ok for me. 20 is just ripoff uk again .
i buy those cheapo here in shanghai for about 3 quid. works ok for me.
20 is just ripoff uk again .
i bought a fab in-car lighter charger which has 2 usb slots on top, to charge 2 devices at same time (although my iphone is constantly attached to one!) – it also comes with extendable usb cable with many tips for many phones – works an absolute treat – and was £7.99 bought at a “Total” Petrol station – the usb cable works on laptops too…
i bought a fab in-car lighter charger which has 2 usb slots on top, to charge 2 devices at same time (although my iphone is constantly attached to one!) – it also comes with extendable usb cable with many tips for many phones – works an absolute treat – and was £7.99 bought at a “Total” Petrol station – the usb cable works on laptops too…
You should look into the Proporta chargers – you really should be carrying one around with you anyways, and they come with a retractable USB cord that has a number of interchangeable tips – including a Nokia 2mm one. I use it all the time to charge the N97.
Yep, I've got one of those, direct from China. You have to keep checking it to make sure that it's still charging…..
Yep, I've got one of those, direct from China. You have to keep checking it to make sure that it's still charging…..
If you're buying and losing so many of these things, dodgy and unreliable becomes cheap and disposable. Buy a whole box full at £1 each from Hong Kong.
If you're buying and losing so many of these things, dodgy and unreliable becomes cheap and disposable. Buy a whole box full at £1 each from Hong Kong.
You should look into the Proporta chargers – you really should be carrying one around with you anyways, and they come with a retractable USB cord that has a number of interchangeable tips – including a Nokia 2mm one. I use it all the time to charge the N97.
You should look into the Proporta chargers – you really should be carrying one around with you anyways, and they come with a retractable USB cord that has a number of interchangeable tips – including a Nokia 2mm one. I use it all the time to charge the N97.
Doesn’t suprise me, I work for a retailer at an airport whose name I won’t mention, we sell the official Blackberry chargers which have recently gone up to £34.99! And that’s the tax free price as well, which suggests that the tax inclusive price would be £40! £40 for a phone charger?!
I bought one of those 2 years ago when I first got my N95 8Gb, I've been using it since, whenever I'm not at home. It lives in a pocket of my ruscac with all manner of detritus and never ceases to work perfectly. I think it cost £1.99.You need to learn to stop losing things.
I bought one of those 2 years ago when I first got my N95 8Gb, I've been using it since, whenever I'm not at home. It lives in a pocket of my ruscac with all manner of detritus and never ceases to work perfectly. I think it cost £1.99.
You need to learn to stop losing things.
Doesn't suprise me, I work for a retailer at an airport whose name I won't mention, we sell the official Blackberry chargers which have recently gone up to £34.99! And that's the tax free price as well, which suggests that the tax inclusive price would be £40! £40 for a phone charger?!
Doesn't suprise me, I work for a retailer at an airport whose name I won't mention, we sell the official Blackberry chargers which have recently gone up to £34.99! And that's the tax free price as well, which suggests that the tax inclusive price would be £40! £40 for a phone charger?!