Been using a USB mobile phone charger for a year and a bit... picked mine up in Hong Kong for about US$15. Doesn't have the spiffy retract thingee, but it's handy as hell when I bounce back and forth between 220-ville and 110-land.

Only drawback... the 'puter's gotta be more than just simply plugged in, it's got to be turned on, too. (It is USB, after all... so it basically turns the cell into just another peripheral.) Fine, sure... but trying to charge the phone overnight means I get to hear the fan kick on every now and then as the CPU heats up. Not a problem during the day, but not exactly sleep-conducive when struggling with jet-lag.

Since you're glad to drop the wall wart for the phone, howabout the Clie too?

http://www.glblsrc.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=54

Of course at this rate you may need a powered USB hub, oh the irony.

Hubs can be tiny too, I love my Dr.Bott T3, but it's not really that powered. Maybe they could have a hub this small actively powered by a pigtail to the the Firewire port? :)

I like how you refer to the zip action as "satisfying" -- reminds me that I'm not the only dork who responds to gadgets like that. And it also reminds me of Paul Lukas's old zine, Beerframe. Seems just like something he would say.

Directly from Keyspan, they're $27, but you can get them from Tiger Direct for $21. Keyspan also makes the less-common USB and Firewire connectors that go to digital cameras and smaller devices.

Can anyone tell me why the manufacturer of my Treo was dumb enough to give me a USB interface cable that attaches to the Treo via it's charging slot, yet DOES NOT CHARGE THE PHONE? Oh, the irony. So I get to carry two cables.

On the plus side, they delightfully gave me an adaptor so that I can both attach the phone to my computer and use charger at the same time. Still have to carry two adaptors.

For those of you in SF, Central Computer on Howard between 4th and 5th has a whole rack of these things on display for the different phone models, so you can check it out before you buy one.

Caveat emptor, these cables do not all work with all phones (even if the manufactuer claims them). BoxWave is a company that does exactly the same thing (cheaper, even, yay competition).

In phone groups for both this and KeySpan, some phone users complain that the charging ability is limited at best. This is due to the improper voltage current coming out of the USB port (for the phone, that is). Some phones don't take the charge at all, others will take it in limited bursts. My Samsung A500, for example, only likes to charge for 15-18 minute intervals being plugged in this way. Of course, I can unplug it, and plug it back in, and it will hump its charge again, but this is definitely a negative checkmark on these cables...

Check your favorite phone website to make sure it works okay before plunkin down..

These cables rock. I have a mini-USB one for my digital camera and a cat-5 for plugging in at hotels or whatever.

its so much nicer than having a big tanlge of cables in my bag.

I had a USB charger for my throwaway Nokia phone, but there isn't anything of the sort available for the Sidekick -- is there? I know people are sorta down on the Sidekick/Hiptop lately, but as long as I'm still under contract I'd like to accessorize.

barkingmoose, If there isn't, this earthlink site has a DIY if you want to make your own. Its super easy.

You can get these from Brando in Hong Kong (www.brando.com.hk). I picked up a USB charger for my Sony Ericsson phone for about USD 13, it shipped to the UK in three days. Excellent service, and a quarter of the price of a normal charger.

geedeek, good tip -- just ordered a retractable Clie charger, too. I'm back down to one power-strip in my travel-bag now!

another advantage of the zip-linq cables: you can peel off the gaudy white logos. this produces pristine, none-more-black, advertising-free retractable cables for your enjoyment.