Sometimes just thinking about going on a trip is enough to make you start searching for the best way to charge your gadgets while away. Carrying an extra bag full of tangled charging cables is not top on my list and I am assuming it is not for you either. However, I have a small backpack sitting beside my chair right now that is full of tangled charging cables.

If you have a bag like mine let me suggest that you label each charging cable inside. Although the charging blocks are different sizes and shapes you will not remember which is which. They all look very similar especially when they are all mixed together like that.

A PowerBlock Dual Universal AC Charger is one of the best solutions for those gadgets that charge via a USB cable. Sure they can be charged from a spare USB port on your laptop but often multiple gadgets will need to be charged simultaneously. The PowerBlock reminds me of my iPhone 3G charger. I have to say that Apple had an elegant idea when it was designed.

The PowerBlock USB Universal Charger can be used in electrical outlets ranging from 100V to 240V. Two USB outlets are located at one end of the PowerBlock and are arranged next to each other. A small green LED light gives you the visual assurance that your gadgets are receiving a charge.

I plan to own two PowerBlocks. One will be kept in my “charging cable” bag and the other will be kept in a handy spot next to my desk. Ordinary charging blocks take up entirely too much space on my APC surge protectors. (The PowerBlock is not a surge protector so it should be fine plugged into an APC). I spend extra cash to gain a few extra outlets and it is annoying to loose those extra outlets once I plug in a few gadgets. The PowerBlock USB Universal Charger is designed to sit length wise of a single outlet. In other words the dual USB ports gain you the equivalent of an extra outlet.

My goal is to shrink the contents of this bag sitting beside my chair. The PowerBlock will be the first step.