While we won’t be running a full review, we did want to feature Power Practical’s Practical Meter ($25), a USB power meter that lets you know how much energy your device is drawing from a power source. The stubby plastic accessory is made to sit in-between a USB port and plug; you insert its plug into the appropriate USB port, and then your cable into the output.
Five lights glow to indicate the power being drawn, with each representing 1 Watt. Five bars represents 5W, or full-speed charging for iPhones and iPods.
If the first light is blinking, it indicates “high power mode,” showing up to 10W being drawn, which makes it useful for iPads as well. A USB cable with Dock Connector, mini-USB, and micro-USB heads is included.
