Bluelounge Refresh

Bluelounge’s Refresh is a great idea, a charging station to bring order to the chaos of daily charging (if you’re an iPhone or iPod owner, you’re familiar will this regular chore). Bundled with two iPod/iPhone connectors, one Mini USB connector, one Micro USB connector, and two USB sockets, the Refresh is compatible with potentially hundreds of devices. If you have multiple gadgets, the Refresh could be a life saver, with the ability to charge four iPod/iPhones at the same time or three mix-and-match gadgets.

While stylish, the Refresh does feel slightly plasticky and the rubberised tray, which your gadgets sit on, appears less than a perfect fit. The Refresh’s success also depends on you using it regularly and not leaving it gathering dust somewhere. While cables are clearly marked, they still feel a touch fiddly, running them under the tray to iPod, iPhone and the like. The tray also offers little in the way of padding to protect your investment, which its predecessor, The Sanctuary ( ), had.

The Refresh does a good job of charging all your devices. We dug through drawers to dig out enough gadgets to keep it going for several hours with all charging successfully. The unit comes with Apple’s Made for iPod and Works with iPhone approval and is available in white, black and pink.

Macworld buying advice

If you struggle to find not only your phone but its charger, and have plenty of gadgets and gizmos that regularly require juice, then the Bluelounge Refresh is well worth a look. If your needs are modest however, the charging station is an investment that’s best spent elsewhere.