Being a fan of useful, well-designed gadgets, I couldn’t resist the temptation of contacting Nomad about the end product of their Kickstarter campaign; the ChargeCard.
Designed to be a more convenient, portable and hassle-free alternative to your traditional USB cable, Nomad’s ChargeCard is so thin that it can fit in the card slot of your wallet or purse. In fact, it’s only the thickness of two credit cards.
There are three versions to choose from; one with a Lightning connector for the iPhone 5 (5C/5S), a 30-pin version for the iPhone 4/4S and a micro USB version too – all of which sell for $25 each.
In terms of design, the ChargeCard has been made with tapered edges, intended to make it easier to slip in to tighter wallets/purses. Even for those who use card holders rather than wallets (like me), it fits in effortlessly and doesn’t add any significant bulk or weight.
What stood out to me beyond the ChargeCard’s impressive design is its build quality. The high grade plastics used on the outer body feel really strong and of a much better quality than I initially expected at this price point. Even when I put it to the test, it was reassuring that I could flex and manipulate the ChargeCard without feeling worried that it’ll get damaged.
The middle segment where you’ll find the main USB stick is made of a flexible rubber that folds back on itself, allowing you to connect to the USB port in your laptop or PC. You simply have to pop it out of the main body, fold it back and plug it in.
It’s because of that rubber USB stick that you’re able to quite comfortably charge your device at various angles – as opposed to having one linear & restrictive direction. You’re not getting the freedom of charging your device at a distance like you would with a cable, but it’s a necessary compromise for the sake of portability and one I was personally happy to make.
Fortunately, the ChargeCard doesn’t compromise on the functionality you’d expect to find in a traditional cable. It can power your phone with 3.1 amp charging (meaning it can charge tablets too, albeit a little slower) and handles USB 2.0 data transfer, so you’ll still be able to sync and transfer stuff between your devices and computers.
I frequently got asked if the ChargeCard can independently charge a device, and unfortunately at this point in time it doesn’t. It would have been nice, even if it was with a minimal battery boost but maybe that’s something Nomad will look in to for future iterations of their products.
For now though, I can comfortably say that after two weeks of usage, the ChargeCard does what it’s intended to do – to be a convenient and portable alternative to the traditional USB cable. My card holder has felt as light as always and the added convenience of not having a long cable cluttering my desk (or bag) has been awesome.
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