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Motorola vs. Verizon car charger

MightyGreen

MightyGreen

Lurker
I purchased the Verizon car charger but never opened the package. I just bought the OEM Motorola car charger instead. They're probably not functionally different, but I think the genuine Motorola accessory looks more Droid-ish.

Anyone out there have both? Is there actually a difference? :confused:

It always drives me nuts that Verizon will sell you a really nice phone, but then carry their own version of the accessories.
 
I personally bought the motorola car charger, it is the one that has a little clear circle motorola sign at the end and when you plug it in a blue light illuminates the motorola logo it is awesome. Only issue is that it is for mini usb connections not micro, but purchased an oem adapter that converts from mini usb to micro usb to fit my droid and it works like a charm. The thing I loved about it was that it has an auto shut off when the phone is fully charged.
 
I got so tired of changing phones and then having to purchase another car charger have a drawer full now from the old Sprint, Tmobile, Ntelos, and that little marsion one.
I got smart and purchased a Igo system which is great because all you do is purchase the tips and you are on and popping. And it has a pretty light on it also LOL
 
thebarbrr said:
I personally bought the motorola car charger, it is the one that has a little clear circle motorola sign at the end and when you plug it in a blue light illuminates the motorola logo it is awesome. Only issue is that it is for mini usb connections not micro, but purchased an oem adapter that converts from mini usb to micro usb to fit my droid and it works like a charm. The thing I loved about it was that it has an auto shut off when the phone is fully charged.
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The Motorola car charger that I bought is Micro-USB, specifically for the Droid. I like the cool factor too.
 
Just place an order with monoprice.

The Car 12V to USB adapters are cheap and can use any USB cord.

The USB cables are ridiculously cheap. There is another thread that can tell you exactly what USB cable you need... I forget.

They were out of short micro-USB cords, so I got stuck with a couple of 10' cables. But now I can easily surf the droid in bed!

Edit:
From my Momoprice order:
USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 15ft $1.93
Car Charger (Cigarette Lighter) to USB Female Converter - Black $1.12

Car charger would work with Mini USB as well (GPS, Blackberry, etc). They stick you a bit on the shipping and handling, so bulk up that order to make it worthwhile.

Also cheap cheap HDMI cables...
 
I'll second Ed's comment. I already have a car 12V to USB adapter from the "MyTouch" branded car charger T-Mobile was selling. Used it with my Eris just fine and just purchased a 6' cable from Monoprice of the same specs below for my droid. Will use the 6' cable at home on the included Moto wall plug and use the Moto USB cable for the car/office (plug into computer).

SpecialEd said:
Just place an order with monoprice.

The Car 12V to USB adapters are cheap and can use any USB cord.

The USB cables are ridiculously cheap. There is another thread that can tell you exactly what USB cable you need... I forget.

They were out of short micro-USB cords, so I got stuck with a couple of 10' cables. But now I can easily surf the droid in bed!

Edit:
From my Momoprice order:
USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 15ft $1.93
Car Charger (Cigarette Lighter) to USB Female Converter - Black $1.12

Car charger would work with Mini USB as well (GPS, Blackberry, etc). They stick you a bit on the shipping and handling, so bulk up that order to make it worthwhile.

Also cheap cheap HDMI cables...
Click to expand...
 
Accessories such as chargers and cables are super high margin stuff for retailers. All of it comes from China anyway, where you can probably pick them up for about $1 US.
 
I read that another option would be to just get a usb adapter for your car. Then you can use any compatible usb cable with your phone to charge it. Plus you have an adapter that can charge any USB device.
 
Wow, I just got my OEM Motorola cable. It is way cool! The logo part is clear until you plug it in, then it glows blue. Worth it just for the cool factor. :)
 
buddiec said:
I got so tired of changing phones and then having to purchase another car charger have a drawer full now from the old Sprint, Tmobile, Ntelos, and that little marsion one.
I got smart and purchased a Igo system which is great because all you do is purchase the tips and you are on and popping. And it has a pretty light on it also LOL
Click to expand...

Unfortunately you bought that a little late. You're going to be hard pressed to find a phone that isn't micro usb.
 
I've seen chargers for sale at great prices but don't state specifically that they have the "Smart IC Chip" (which I assume means they don't have them). Should I avoid buying these chargers (like the ones on Monoprice) because they may "overcharge" the battery and decrease its lifespan? Or is the whole smart chip thing a ploy used to make the other chargers sound better (and therefore charge more for them)?

Thanks!
 
I've seen chargers for sale at great prices but don't state specifically that they have the "Smart IC Chip" (which I assume means they don't have them). Should I avoid buying these chargers (like the ones on Monoprice) because they may "overcharge" the battery and decrease its lifespan? Or is the whole smart chip thing a ploy used to make the other chargers sound better (and therefore charge more for them)?

Thanks!
 
I have a mid grade pure sine power inverter that plugs into my car outlet, though I'd like to just wire it right into my car when I get the time. Saves me the hassle of needing any different kind of charger from the ones that come with any small electronics, phones specifically.
 
the verizon stuff is a rip off!

verizon will sell you a verizon droid charger for 29.99.

then they will turn around and sell you the car dock, by itself no less, for $29.99

you can go on amazon and the get the motorola brand car dock that includes a charger for $20 or so....

amazon also carries the multimedia dock for about $20 as well....verizon with their proprietary mark-up crap....FAIL
 
caustic said:
I have a mid grade pure sine power inverter that plugs into my car outlet, though I'd like to just wire it right into my car when I get the time. Saves me the hassle of needing any different kind of charger from the ones that come with any small electronics, phones specifically.
Click to expand...

This is the route I took with my older dumb phones. But the one I had was 150W and it had a small fan on it so it was a bit loud so I stopped using it in my truck where the only outlet is on the dash and put it in the car where it has an outlet in the center console and keeps the noise out.

But now I would like to find a car adapter that has at least 3 or so USB plugs on it so me, my wife and friend who's staying with us can all charge our Droids at the same time while out on the road. Can anyone recommend a good solution/charger for this? I'd rather not have power inverters daisy chained around my car and/or blow fuses constantly doing this, lol. I already have that pretty blue Moto car charger linked above too.

vandyblackandgold said:
the verizon stuff is a rip off!

verizon will sell you a verizon droid charger for 29.99.

then they will turn around and sell you the car dock, by itself no less, for $29.99

you can go on amazon and the get the motorola brand car dock that includes a charger for $20 or so....

amazon also carries the multimedia dock for about $20 as well....verizon with their proprietary mark-up crap....FAIL
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If you're a Verizon VIP (not sure what constitutes this though, prolly at least 2-4 years of service) they'll knock ~20%-30% off accessories. I got my car dock and case for around $20 a piece at the Verizon store with this. I've been with Verizon for over 5 years now though.
 
T4rd said:
If you're a Verizon VIP (not sure what constitutes this though, prolly at least 2-4 years of service) they'll knock ~20%-30% off accessories. I got my car dock and case for around $20 a piece at the Verizon store with this. I've been with Verizon for over 5 years now though.
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I get the VIP discount. however....

look over my post again...

AT the verizon store, you can only buy "verizon branded" accessories. they sell the car dock and the car charger SEPARATELY. this is the ONLY way you can purchase at a verizon store. With my discount, this comes out to be something like $23 and some change A PIECE! so $46 plus tax for the car dock and car charger, even with a discount.

if you buy the motorola branded packaging, you get the car dock and the car charger in the same box for one price.

right now, the motorola OEM car dock kit WITH CHARGER is going on amazon for less than $16!

Amazon.com: Motorola DROID OEM Window Mount: Cell Phones & Service
 
I bought the Motorola Droid car dock with the Motorola charger for $20 shipped from Amazon. They also have the desk dock for the same price.
 
rlp900 said:
I've seen chargers for sale at great prices but don't state specifically that they have the "Smart IC Chip" (which I assume means they don't have them). Should I avoid buying these chargers (like the ones on Monoprice) because they may "overcharge" the battery and decrease its lifespan? Or is the whole smart chip thing a ploy used to make the other chargers sound better (and therefore charge more for them)?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hey guys, just giving this a bump to see if anyone has an answer. I've tried asking on several different sites and no one seems to be answering.... I guess everyone is as clueless on this as I am?
 
rlp900 said:
Hey guys, just giving this a bump to see if anyone has an answer. I've tried asking on several different sites and no one seems to be answering.... I guess everyone is as clueless on this as I am?
Click to expand...

Nevermind, found an answer. I had emailed the monoprice site to ask the same question and never heard back, btu they finally responded. In case anyone else was wondering the same thing.... the IC chips are important, and the monoprice devices do contain them. The guy on the site said that all modern devices have them standard, so stating it explicitly is somewhat of a ploy to charge mroe by making it seem as though other devices don't have them.

Hope that helps someone.
 
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