Reviews// Magic Cable Trio/Charger

If you're anything like me, you have a whole host of tech gadgets. An iPhone, or Android phone, a handheld of some kind or other, one or two cameras, MP3 players and maybe even a GPS device, plus various other things with LEDs and USB ports.

Also if you are anything like me, you'll get tired of constantly having to root around in drawers to find the right cable, or to root around behind your machine to plug and unplug USB leads.

OK, that last thing might not be a problem if you have a desktop PC with 16 USB ports, but my iMac has a paltry four, two of which are taken up by my printer and external drives. So I'm continually unplugging device A to plug in device B and vice versa. Even if you do have plenty of USB ports, you probably have to unplug and replug when you want to travel with your device.

What if there was just one lead that dealt with 90% of your devices? Well there is now. The Innergie Magic Cable trio combines one lead with three connector plugs - USB type A (the kind commonly found on computer chassis) at one end, and Micro USB, Mini USB and Apple 30-pin at the other.

At first glance, the cable is just a set of three connected adaptors. But in reality, it's much more clever than that. What's especially clever about the lead is that it features a sophisticated telescopic joint system to enable you to move the unwanted connector(s) out of the way, without disconnecting it completely from the cable - so you don't accidentally disconnect, misplace or lose altogether the unused sections.

It's one of those fiendishly simple but hugely useful ideas that make you facepalm and go, "why didn't I think of that?"

Personally, I'm keeping the review copy, and I'll be buying a few more for my other machines and for travelling. But I travel a lot, and I have only two spare USB ports on my machine, so the 3 in 1 delivers very real benefits to me.

At £20.00 a pop for this cable, you may decide that you can make do with separate cables for your devices. And while £20 isn't a high price for convenience, Innergie sells this from their US website for $14.95.

While we're used to seeing "Pound for Dollar" as the worst case, Apple currently charges about 80% of the dollar value in pounds. Which makes the 3 in 1 magic cable look about £7.50 too expensive.

If they could make this work at £9.99 it would be a no-brainer. As it is, it's more likely to sell to affluent globetrotters than your average gadget owner.

Pros:
+ Three connectors - one lead
+ Saves Time finding the right lead
+ Convenient and easy for travelling

Cons:
- Short lead length
- Available in white only
- Not cheap