Gadget review: Uniross Power Pod

Uniross, known widely in South Africa for their rechargeable batteries, has designed and is selling a multiple-device charger, allowing one to charge several gadgets simultaneously.
The Power Pod has four ports into which ten interchangeable bits (included with the device) can be inserted and removed. It also has two USB ports into which devices that are too big for the Power Pod, like tablets, could be plugged. The circular design and bit-port placement ensure that gadgets of various shapes,sizes and charging-port locations are easily fitted and don't obstruct each other on the Power Pod.

This device is great for bedside or desktop cable clutter where charging cables for various gadgets twist and tangle constantly. The reduction in plug ports is also pretty handy - one two-pin plug for charging up to six devices at at time.

The Power Pod is well constructed and very sturdy. The bits fit properly into all the devices that I tried out (iPhone, Blackberry, Nokia and HTC phones).  Power to the Pod is provided by a 2-pin radio-type cable that plugs into the base and there is a power toggle-switch placed next to the power cable port. The bits insert and remove easily from the Power Pod and fit well - there isn't any device wobble when they are mounted on the Power Pod. The bits can be removed by tugging them from the top, or pushing the bit release buttons found underneath the Pod.

When the device is powered on, the ring on the centre of the Power Pod lights up in a bright blue hue. While devices are receiving charge, a light in front of the respective charging port also lights up. This is fine during daylight hours and looks slick. However, at night these super bright LEDs cast a great disco-show on the ceiling. This is easily rectified by putting a cell phone pouch over the centre of the Power Pod, however it would probably be better for future models to come with less intense LEDs.

There is only one glitch that I found with the Power Pod. When charging an iOS device, the touch screen functionality can go a little crazy during charging. When one place on the screen is touched, another place on the screen is actually activated. This makes it nearly impossible to type or browse when plugged in. A quick gander on some Apple forums revealed that this glitch can result when using a non-Apple generic charger touch-screen Apple devices. This is obviously a problem when one cannot use a device for the couple hours that it is charging.

All in all, the Power Pod is okay (not great; not terrible). In practice the Power Pod has been very useful and I will most likely continue to make use of it. As stated earlier, the Pod is well designed and constructed but I would still prefer a device on which all my devices can be used while charging.

Uniross Power Pods are available at Makro and Dion Wired at approximately R399.00.