Traveling has always been a mixed blessing for me. I love seeing new places, but inevitably always forgeting something that I needed. The Treo is a mixed blessing, as it uses two cables: a power supply and a USB connector. I have seen places like USB Shop that offer USB accessories that let you charge your cell phone using your laptop's USB port, and wished for something for the Treo. Well the wait is over. Seidio has released the USB Sync&Charge Cable, a HotSync cable for the Treo that also charges it at the same time.
Description
The USB Sync&Charge Cable is simply a USB cable with a Treo connector on one end. The connector has a HotSync button on it that you press when you want to HotSync.
There are two sizes available. I reviewed the 5 ft. cable, but there is also an 8 inch cable available, which is handy for users that have a keyboard with USB ports or a laptop. For some reason, the shorter cable costs more!
Usability
The beauty of a cable like the USB Sync&Charge Cable is that you just plug it in and you're done. Using my PowerBook, I connected a Treo 270 to it using the USB Sync&Charge Cable and immediately saw the recharge light come on the Treo. The Treo continued to charge even with the PowerBook in Sleep mode. You can also charge the Treo from a powered USB hub.
Just to make things complicated, I did a USB Hotsync on Mac OS X 10.1.5 with the Treo 270 connected to the USB Sync&Charge Cable, which was plugged into a seven-port USB hub connected to my PowerBook. The HotSync performed flawlessly.
I thought about comparing recharge times for the USB Sync&Charge Cable versus the normal HotSync cable setup that comes with the Treo, but decided that recharge times could vary depending on your computer setup. Besides, the purpose of the USB Sync&Charge Cable is not one of quick charging the Treo, but to charge and HotSync with only one cable. And that the USB Sync&Charge Cable does very well.
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