By Evan Ackerman

I’ll be honest… I usually carry around three (yes, three) different mobile charging apparatuses when I know I’m going to be out with my gadgets all day: one of these, one of these, and this. Is it overkill? Probably. But being a ::cough:: professional journalist, running out of batteries is simply not an option. Even I, however, would not wear a universal wrist charger. It’s just too dorky, and I’m really more of a geek. Or I like to think so, anyway.

If you just look at the numbers, this universal wrist charger is actually pretty decent: it has a 1500 mAh battery, weighs 82 grams, and will charge anything that only needs 5 volts (same as a USB port). Since most of your gadgets are probably hand-held, it’s a convenient way to be using something and charging it at the same time. Problem is, there’s really no getting around the utter dorkiness of this thing. If it also had a little LCD on it or something, you could at least pretend that it was some kind of ridiculously fancy watch, but as it is, it just has 4 little lights to indicate what level of charge it has. Wait a sec… Random lights? Weird design? I’ve got it! Just tell everyone that you’re sporting the latest and greatest from Tokyo Flash, and wear the universal wrist charger in anonymous pride. Problem solved!

The universal wrist charger is available now from ThinkGeek for $35.

[ ThinkGeek ] VIA [ Craziest Gadgets ]

The 9.25- by 4- by 7-inch Speck GPS Flyer is a small-ish travel case meant for storing and displaying most standard-sized GPS systems thanks to a thoughtful pop-up outer compartment with a built-in protective device holder.

The inside of the bag features more than enough room for accessories, cables, manuals, and mounting apparatuses. And with an MSRP of $40 and a street price of around $30, it makes a pretty good travel case for other gadgets as well.

I can’t actually speak to the effectiveness of the GPS features as I don’t have a GPS system with which to test everything out (no car = no need for GPS) but I can tell you that Speck’s GPS case has now replaced my camera case and made for a really easy way to carry essential gadgets around while traveling or covering events.

For instance, right now I have the following items inside the case:

• DSLR camera, lens, and battery charger
• Six-foot Ethernet cable
• Three USB cables
• Collapsible headset and microphone
• Portable flash memory camcorder
• iPod Touch
• Two pairs of headphones

And I could probably cram a few more items in there if needed. The case can be embiggened (it’s a word!) a couple inches by unzipping an outer zipper and resmallified (might not be a word!) by zipping it back up. So all in all, you’ve got a pretty versatile case for quick, everyday use that can also be used to carry stuff around when traveling.

The interior features a 3.5- by 4-inch velcro pocket for storing memory cards and other small items, while a see-through window provides a place to store business cards and the like. Behind both the pocket and the window is an 8.5- by 5-inch pocket that could be used to store a small book or instruction manual.

The main compartment is a big open space about 8 inches wide by 6 inches long by 1.5- to 3-inches deep depending on whether or not you’ve opted to employ the outside zipper expansion. The bottom of the compartment features two nylon net-style pockets.

The material itself is a tough, sturdy nylon in the inside and around the outside with an almost rubber tire-like substance on the top and bottom of the case. The whole kit feels like it’s built to last — not cheap in the slightest.

If the GPS Flyer has a fault, it’s that it could easily be marketed as a standard gadget bag. When I opened it, I thought “Who in the hell needs a bag for their GPS?” Once I actually started using it, though, the nice deep pockets and ample storage space, along with a relatively reasonable price tag despite the use of high-quality materials made the Speck GPS Flyer quite enticing.

GPS Flyer [Speck Products]