When I travel, I always take a small bag with me containing my must-have Treo accessories. These include a stereo headset for listening to music or audio books, a Palm AC charger, which came with my Treo, and an extra battery just in case I run out of juice while away from an outlet. Although there are additional accessories I sometimes bring with me (such as a car charger or a synch and charge cable), I make every effort possible to keep this set of items to a minimum so they can fit into a small bag that slips neatly into my jacket pocket.

When I saw the JAVOMeta Charger, I was immediately interested in getting one because, when used with a USB sync & charge cable, it combines the benefits of a travel charger and car charger in a single compact device. This, I thought, would allow me to replace the bulky Palm AC wall charger with a more compact device that would work in the car and in a hotel room.

First Impressions

It was probably just bad luck on my part that my initial unit had a loose AC connector, which prevented the charger from working with a wall outlet. The great people at JAVOedge were very apologetic, and sent out a working replacement unit that arrived the next day.

To use the JAVOMeta charger as an AC wall charger, you just flip out the prongs 90 degrees from the body of the charger and plug it into the wall. You then plug one end of your USB charging cable into the end of the charger and the other end into your Treo.

There is one flaw I noticed in this generally strong design. When you plug it into the wall and connect the USB cable, the USB cable partially blocks the second wall outlet. You may be able to plug in a second device with a small plug, such as a lamp. But devices with larger plugs might not fit into the small gap left by the USB cable. A better solution would be to have the USB port on the side of the adapter so it that it was perpendicular to the wall when the charger was plugged in.

Once everything is plugged in, the LED on the charger turns red while your Treo is charging and then green when it is fully charged. While this isn’t really necessary since the Treo’s LED also provides visual feedback on the charging status, the LED is useful to confirm that the JAVOMeta is receiving power from the wall outlet or the cigarette lighter plug.

Using the JAVOMeta as a car charger is also very simple. Just plug it into the cigarette light plug and then use the USB charging cable to connect it to your Treo. I tried using the JAVOMeta in a couple of different cars and found it fit both cigarette plugs without being too loose or too tight.

How Full Is Your Tank?

In the car and at home, the JAVOMeta charger was what I needed, allowing me to combine 3 accessories (sync/charge cable, a cigarette lighter charger, and AC wall charger) into 2 accessories (JAVOMeta and a sync/charge cable) that would fit into my small accessory bag. However, I did realize a a downside associated with this convenience. I was using the JAVOMeta to recharge my Treo overnight after a particularly busy day that drained my Treo’s battery below 10%. In the morning, I awoke find that the battery level was only charged to 85%. Thinking that maybe there have been a loose connection, I tried the next night. I wrote down the initial battery level, and the time I started charging, and then checked the time and battery level when I woke up. Same problem!

I’ve typically found that my Palm Treo AC charger will recharge my battery from around 20% to 100% within a 3 to 4 hours, often allowing me to re-charge one battery before I go to bed and the second overnight. However, based on the fact that the JAVOMeta only added 50% to 70% to the battery level over a seven hour period, I think that the JAVOMeta is at least 2 to 3 times slower to recharge the Treo’s battery compared to the Palm Treo AC charger.

To be fair, this might not be a problem for everyone. If your Treo’s battery typically doesn’t go below 50% by the end of each day, then the JAVOMeta will keep you fully charged. But if you maintain live IMAP connections to multiple email accounts throughout the day or play several hours of audio using PocketTunes and the Audible.com Player, you may prefer something that will recharge your batteries more quickly.

Summary

The JAVOMeta charger definitely reduces the clutter of having multiple charging devices. However, the convenience comes with the inconvenience of slower charging times compared to alternatives. If your battery level rarely goes under 50%, and you just need something to top it off overnight or while driving in the car, the JAVOMeta is for you. If you frequently take your battery into the red zone, then you may prefer something else that will let you start each day with a fully-charged battery.

Pros:
• A single device that lets you charge in the car or any AC outlet
• Small and compact, with protective cover for car charger connector
• LED provides visual feedback on charging status (red = charging, green = fully charged)
• Should work with any USB Treo charging cable
• Automatic voltage detection (100 to 240 volts AC)
• Built-in surge protection.
• Available for US, Europe and UK (Europe and UK models come with adapter)

Cons:
• Charging times are slower than charging with standard AC charger.
• The USB plug is on the end of the charger and blocks second outlet when used with a wall outlet
• LED is near the front of the charger and can be hard to see when plugged into some cigarette lighter plugs

Related Links

JAVOMeta Charger

JAVOSync Sync & Charge Cable

Other Charging Cables and Cradles

Filed under: Accessory reviews