car USB charging?

[rh71]

Have a Blackberry Torch and was thinking about getting a car charger but it dawned on me that the car also has a USB plug that also charges the phone. Question is - is it really slow? Say I have a 30 minute trip in the car and want the phone charged up as much as possible in that time... is it not going to do the job as well as say something like this from amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Second question... if the phone is dead and I have an emergency, would I be able to plug in the USB and have it support a quick power-on & call?

 

[vshah]

yes, it will charge, but it will be slower - about 1/2 the speed as from a wall charger or that rapid charger you linked.

if the battery was completely dead, it would probably need to charge for a few minutes before it could turn on, but at that point you would be able to make a call.

 

[3chordcharlie]

For faster charging, you need more current. Not sure what the high-rate current needed for that phone is.

Time from dead to making a phone call on a BB is not going to be 'quick' (probably 1-4 minutes depending if battery is too flat immediately power-on once plugged in) so what kind of emergency are we talking about?

 

[dagamer34]

You need to find a cigarette that explicitly states it will charge with 2 amps that way you know your smartphone will be able to ask for 1 amp to charge itself at the same rate it will from a wall.

 

[vshah]

the motorola one OP linked is known to charge at 1Amp and is fine for most smartphones. unless blackberries need more than 1A that one should do nicely.

 

[rh71]

No power with hurricane. Is it ok to leave it charging in the car without engine running with this low voltage/wattage? Ignition to accessories only. Takes like 2 hours to fully charge.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Make really sure there are no lights fans radios on. And I would start and run the vehicle after half an hour or so for 5-10.

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