Color Cables: Glow-in-the-Dark, Device-Charging Convenience

Are you sick of the same, plain, black and white mobile device charging cables? Those kind that get tangled and wadded up in your bag? Or the connector/cable junction gets all frayed and ratty? Well, lament no more! Check out Color Cables for a great alternative to those standard, boring cables.

I had the chance to review Color Cables, a brand new charging and sync cable startup that’s currently at the tail end of an IndieGoGo campaign. I think our faithful GeekMom readers would agree with me when I say that a glow-in-the-dark charging cable option is a really cool idea, and considering it doesn’t cost any differently than standard quality cables, what’s there to lose?

The company was gracious enough to send me three Color Cables: an orange 6-foot Apple Lightning cable, a pink 3-foot MicroUSB cable (compatible with Blackberry, Kindle, Samsung, and Windows Phone devices), and a blue 3-foot Apple 30-pin cable.

What Comes in the Box

• One Color Cable in your choice of color
• A coupon for 25 percent off your next purchase

Usability

I’m not going to waste your time talking about how to use a charging cable. You simply plug it in, right? The Color Cables are only USB at the power end. If you want to connect to an AC power outlet, you need to dig out that plug from your Samsung or Apple box. Otherwise, feel free to plug it into your computer or USB outlet for the same use.

I used the Lightning cable with my new iPhone 5s, the MicroUSB cable with my Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and my sons’ Kindle Fires, and the Apple 30-pin cable with my iPad 2.

These cables are flat. I can’t say with certainty what benefits there are to flat cables in terms of its ability to charge, but I do know that it’s much more difficult to inadvertently tie the cable in knots.

Charging speeds seem to be comparable to the devices’ factory cables, and in the past month, I’ve not had any problems with the charge starting up as soon as plug in the cables.

Glow in the Dark Feature

These cables are covered in a glow-in-the-dark plastic coating. This gives the cables more durability.

I wasn’t able to photograph the cable glowing in my dark half-bathroom, but trust me when I say that the glowing cables are indeed pretty bright, so long as they’ve been exposed to enough light to “charge” them. The instructions on the box suggest at least 30 minutes in direct sunlight for best results.

While the glow-in-the-dark feature is novel, don’t expect enough light to emanate from it to help you find the charging port on your device if you’re trying to charge your eReader after a late night of reading. Frankly, I don’t need the glow-in-the-dark feature, but I do appreciate the reinforcement it provides to the cable.

Conclusions

This past month of using exclusively Color Cables, I’ve been quite happy. While I don’t necessarily need the glow-in-the-dark feature, it does help make the cables more durable.

You can buy the 30-pin Apple and MicroUSB Color Cables through their website, starting at $14.99. However, if you take part in the IndieGoGo campaign, for as little as a $9 contribution, you can have your own Color Cable shipped later this month, including the Apple Lightning cable. Keep up with the company on Facebook or Twitter for product updates.

GeekMom received this item for review purposes.