The market offers several alternatives for installing USB charging ports as if they were just another power outlet, but all require basic electrical knowledge and handling wires. The SnapPower Charger seeks to minimize the complexity of the process, and the only thing it asks of the user is to replace the cover of the outlet.
Anyone with a couple of mobile devices knows well that finding a suitable outlet for each charger can turn into a juggling session. Either the charger is too big, or the prongs face the other direction, or another device blocks all the outlets with its plug... the story never ends. Many people have decided to solve this conflict at the outlet itself, replacing the traditional configuration with one that adds USB charging ports. If you have some skill, or the famous "friend of a neighbor" steps in (which could be you!), installation isn't too complicated, but for the vast majority of people it is. With that in mind, we came across the SnapPower Charger, which reduces the installation of USB ports to a few seconds.
Basically, you have to interrupt the electrical power for a few minutes, replace the classic outlet cover with the SnapPower Charger, and secure it using the same screw. The USB port will be on the right side of the outlets, and all the charger's components are sealed in the lower part of the cover. The SnapPower Charger eliminates the need for cables thanks to its two internal prongs, which come into contact with the side screws that carry voltage. Installing a special outlet with USB ports can take more than ten minutes, but with the SnapPower Charger it takes less than twenty seconds to complete the task. The only "serious" limitation is that it doesn't work with 220-volt outlets. That leaves it out of European territory, but I know several Latin American friends reading this with 100–127 volts in their homes.
The charger has just over a month ahead on Kickstarter, but its reception has been extraordinary. It barely needed $35,000 to move forward, yet people responded with almost half a million. The current price of each SnapPower Charger is $16 (shipping not included), with three colors and two different styles. If all goes well, it will reach buyers during August.
