Usage
I used the micro USB cable with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the iPod cable with my iPod Touch. Both were connected to a 15″ MacBook Pro. The cables are full data and power cables, so they provided a data connection suitable for transferring data. I did not notice a significant difference in transfer speed compared to my standard Apple cable or Samsung-provided cable.
The cables are kind of awkward if you have connected a device that you expect to interact with. I often use my iPod as a glorified hard drive, so this is a acceptable for it. However, I found it awkward for interacting with my phone.
The novelty of these wears off after a bit. There must be some kind of a near, hard surface on which the connected device can rest. This is probably true for laptops, the intended market for these cables. They “fit” perfectly with my MacBook.
I had the idea to connect the cable and my iPod to a vertically-oriented car charger. The iPod was simply too heavy to stand up there.
I think these cables are limited to the very intended purpose: connecting on the go to a laptop, or a temporary, handheld connection of a camera or phone for quick transfers or quick charging.
Final thoughts
The stubbiness of the cables leads me to believe that they are geared primarily toward compact, travel use, especially overnight charging. They may be impractical for devices that see a lot of use.
That said, they’re great for iOS devices when being used as a hard drive for playback, or if your phone has a side-mounted USB port that is on a side convenient for attaching to your laptop, so you can still use the phone while it’s connected.
ThinkComputers gives the Aviiq ReadyClips USB Cables a 9 out of 10 score. You can pick them up directly from Aviiq from $19-$30.
Pros:
– Compact, no tangling!
– Clip great for organizing inside a bag
Cons:
– Most USB ports are located such that interacting with a connected device will be very awkward
– Usefulness kind of limited, specific applications
