You have a nice, shiny new $700 phone, but you buy the cheapest accessories you can find. We all know someone like that. Why? Maybe they received their new phone as a gift or through a subsidized price (ie with a 2 year contract) so they didn't actually spend what the phone retails for. Perhaps they're now broke after spending what amounts to a mortgage payment on their new phone. Whatever the reason, you need to be aware of a few things.
In many countries, the United States included, there are regulations governing safety when it comes to many things, not the least of which are electronics. In the button link below is a post from another blog about what's potentially inside your "cheapest one I could find on eBay" wall cube (ie transformer used to convert 120 VAC to 5 VDC to recharge your USB devices).
In many countries, the United States included, there are regulations governing safety when it comes to many things, not the least of which are electronics. In the button link below is a post from another blog about what's potentially inside your "cheapest one I could find on eBay" wall cube (ie transformer used to convert 120 VAC to 5 VDC to recharge your USB devices).
What is discussed in that blog post is alarming. Key safety measures are ignored, putting the user at risk of electric shock, and even death. At a minimum, you put your $700 phone at risk by using cheap, knock-off chargers (more on that in a future post). It's not just your $700 phone, it's any device that uses 5 volts of DC current to recharge (basically all USB devices).
At least 2 people have died from electric shock because of cheap, fake, knock-off USB chargers. Here's one article about a case in Australia: http://www.cnet.com/news/warning-over-faulty-usb-chargers-after-death/
At least 2 people have died from electric shock because of cheap, fake, knock-off USB chargers. Here's one article about a case in Australia: http://www.cnet.com/news/warning-over-faulty-usb-chargers-after-death/
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