TamsPPC - the PocketPC Blog

This time we will have a look at the Brando Car Charger Cable for HTC smartphones. There are different editions of HTC devices, for example T-Mobile MDA 1, 2 and 3 which can be charged with this cable. It is especially useful for people which want use their smartphone as a navigation system: Navigations over long distances need much power, especially if the Bluetooth adapter is turned on.

It can be easily connected to your car’s power socket. The power supply is indicated by a small LED. As my car’s power socket does not work properly always, I know whether the charger has power or not. While I was testing I noticed that in most cars, there is no power supply of the socket when the car is off. This means: as long as the car is off, you can’t charge your phone.

I regularly charged my HTC Blue Angel (MDA III) with this charger for some weeks without any problems. But when I compare the specifications of this charger and my original one, there are some differences: the car charger’s amperage is 1,25A while my original charger has 2A. This could be because the charger is also suited for other phones.

This car charger is a reasonable investion for owners of a HTC smartphone. With this charger, a GPS receiver and the right software, you can use your smartphone as a navigation system. But also if you don’t need navigation and want to charge your mobile phone/PDA in your car, buying the Brando Car Charger is a good idea. It is available at the Brando Shop for $18, and it’s available for many other devices, too.

In the golden time of PDA’s, a so-called cradle or tabletop docking station was a standard accessory that shipped with each and every handheld. However, as time went by, manufacturers replaced cradles with sync cables(which are easier for frequent travelers) - and stopped producing them. Brando has a long history of offering good cradles for PDA’s - let’s see if their ipaq cradle can stack up!

Brando’s products ship in yellow envelopes from Hong Kong - austrian customs seem to leave them alone, and the contents have always arrived in mint state so far:

The cradle itself ships in a white box. The data cable is separate from the cradle and can be connected to the cradle via Mini USB:

Brando’s latest cradle series is rather big and bulky - here is a picture of the cradle next to the ipaq:

On the back of the cradle you find the MiniUSB port mentioned before. You also find the ‘mystery port’ - a port for a wallwart PSU that isn’t for sale anywhere in the known world.

A blue LED in the front lights up whenever power is available to the cradle:

The ipaq gets plugged into the cradle from the top. Fitting the rx4240 in is easy - but be careful not to damage the MiniUSB port. Once the ipaq is inside the cradle, it charges with a decently fast speed and stands well - it definitely won’t topple over:

Overall, Brando’s cradle is ideal for everyone who wants a docking station for his hp rx4240! Developers will like this cradle because it allows you to see your app run all the time while it’s connected to the debugger…the price of 20$ at Brando’s is more than justified!