The next holiday you take could see you pack one less gadget, as Belkin combines two of our most used devices into one.
Convergence is one of those things technology excels at, finding a way to marry and combine useful technology so that you need to carry at least one less thing.
Your phone is quite possibly the greatest example of convergence around, delivering a camera, web browser, email system, pocket computer, music player, wallet, and heaven forbid an actual phone all in the one place.
The idea of convergence can trickle into more places gradually, but one area getting it now is that of power. Specifically keeping your gadgets charged and happy, both when you’re near a power plug and when you’re not.
Belkin hinted at the idea last year at IFA, and not long into 2024, the gadget and peripheral maker has one of those ideas ready for people keen to turn two or three gadgets they might normally have to carry into one.
The idea is to marry your phone and tablet charger with a power bank, so that you can charge your devices when you’re near a wall plug, but also keep the power topped up for when you’re not.
It’s the first time we’ve seen this idea in practice, and arrives in the Belkin BoostCharge Hybrid Wall Charger and Power Bank 5K with Travel Adapter, a real mouthful of a name that pretty much says exactly what it is: a hybrid wall charge combined with a power bank, that also comes with a set of international plugs so you can take it with you.
The charger itself can handle up to 25W over one USB-C and one USB-A (the rectangular kind), which means charging a phone and tablet, or charging a small laptop a little slower than the minimum 30W they usually like. Belkin’s Hybrid Wall Charger includes a 5K power bank inside, so you’re also technically charging a small power bank built to top up your phone.
It all comes in a small design, and seems built so that you only need to carry one device instead of two, though it won’t likely be suitable for laptops. For those, you may want to consider one of the bigger power banks capable of handling a higher power amount.
In Australia, Belkin’s hybrid travel tech idea will come with a recommended retail price of $119.95, and should be available at stores online and offline now.
