• by David , September 25, 2007

Over the summer I found myself stranded numerous times in various airports because of FAA problems, weather and general misfortune. While in Washington/Reagan during a particularly hellish day, I found myself standing in lengthy lines for airline customer service while on the phone with friends and family.

Eventually, my phone went dead. Some airports seem designed better than others when it comes to hiding energy sources -- I couldn't find an outlet in the ticketing area to save my life - or my phone.

I went about six hours without a phone and didn't have a chance to charge it until I made it to the hotel. (Plane problems hung me out to dry for the night, luckily the airline put me up. Rare, but nice.)

Flash forward four months to Friday when I was jetting through the Raleigh/Durham terminal to meet my ground transportation. I walk briskly past a big yellow and black box with multiple cords hanging out the front of it.

"Why the hell didn't I think of that," I thought to myself.

I checked the box out and snapped the above picture on my return trip that afternoon.

From the makers of those annoying airport rent-a-carts comes ChargeCarte. It's wired with charging adapters for iPods, Treos and a good sum of the popular cell phones.

I travel with my charger in my laptop case now, but during the summer I'd have easily paid $2 to use that little machine.

Would you?