Review: Nokia CA-100 Charger Via USB Port
I have the Nokia CA-100 charger for review. This charger lets you charge your Nokia phone, device or accessory from the USB port on your laptop or computer. For a plain and simple review, it works the way it should. Now let me explain who or why you would buy this accessory.
First, thanks to our sponsor Wireless Ground for providing the accessory for testing and review.
Usage
Pack light. If you carry your laptop to work or school daily like me, charging your Nokia phone can’t be any easier. I’ll just pack the charger in my backpack and know that I can charge my phone when I need to. Even if you don’t bring your laptop to school or work daily, any computers with USB ports are not hard to find these days.
Universal Plug. Frequent travelers know that certain regions have different power outlets. Bringing your US power adapter will not fit into European outlets unless you have an adapter. The USB charger will fit into any computer around the world that has a USB port.
Necessary Power. I just moved into a new place and the broadband connection has not been set up yet. In the meantime, my roommates and I have been using the Nokia N95 NAM as a Wifi hotspot providing us 3G internet speed from AT&T. Continuous 3G access can be a power drain, so to ensure I don’t leave the house with an empty battery, the Nokia CA-100 stay connected to my laptop while using it.
Final Thoughts
Think of the Nokia CA-100 charger as a tool in your mobile first-aid kit. It is not an absolute necessity, but it’s good to have around.
Gallery
Peter Rullmann on 14 March 2008:
How long does a full charge take?
Priscilla on 14 March 2008:
Can I take pictures off my phone with it and transfer music?
Frank White on 14 March 2008:
It is nice to have and does work well. Only problem is the price. At $35 @ the Nokia store in Manhattan a bit over priced for what it is.
mr. gunn on 14 March 2008:
I have one of the cheap knock-off versions of this from http://cellphoneshop.net. I also have the car ac adapter/cigarette lighter plug to USB plug, so I have a USB plug even in my car. However, you have to have a powered USB port for this to work. Often the USB ports on laptops and the front ports on a dell desktop aren’t powered, so you have to sue the ports around the back.
Mark Guim on 14 March 2008:
@peter i haven’t tried a proper test charging from empty battery, but it seems to charge the amount of time as the regular power cord.
Mark Guim on 14 March 2008:
@priscilla yes you can charge your phone and take pictures/transfer music at the same time just like a computer
Derek Coleman on 15 March 2008:
Awesome review Mark. I’ll have to scoop one of these up soon. Thanks.
brian on 15 March 2008:
yeah 35 bucks is a bit pricey.
i got a cord from ebay for like 6.95 shipped. http://cgi.ebay.com/CA-100-USB-Charger-Cable-Nokia-E65-E60-E61i-N83-N93-N95_W0QQitemZ320228390146QQihZ011QQcategoryZ41332QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and the one i got was this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Retractable-USB-Charger-Cable-for-Nokia-N80-N92-N93-N95_W0QQitemZ300206063116QQihZ020QQcategoryZ20366QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
and it works perfectly fine for me
milK on 17 March 2008:
I think Prescilla means if you can use it as a datacable and transfer files from your phone to your laptop, which I don’t think it can.
Wouldn’t it be easier though if all phones had mini USB so you wouldn’t even need this rather expensive cable (no matter how practical it may be)?
Priscilla on 25 March 2008:
I just received my cord today…After hocking it up to my phone and pc it shows no signs of being capable of data transfer. Its a good charger but thats all it is. This is so frustrating..Does anyone know of a data cable that will work with Nokia?
answer on 1 May 2008:
@priscilla
what model phone do you have? my n73 came with a usb data cable, and you should be able to get one directly off of nokias website