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(More customer reviews)When I got a new laptop, I ordered the Kensignton K38031US to replace an older Kensington Air/Auto/Wall adapter I had. The older one worked, but tips for it are hard to find and I liked some of the features of the newer one. I never used the auto power feature, so I didn't miss it when I got the K38031US.
I was surprised at how small and light it was and even more pleased to see that I didn't need to buy any additional tips - it included tips that fit my work HP laptop, my Dell Mini 9 and my iPod Touch. It also had a USB power jack on the side so that I could charge my Kindle, Palm Treo Pro, Garmin GPS and other devices.
Two items deserve special mention. The first is that, unlike the older Kensington adapter I had, this one does not automatically switch voltage range between 14-17V and 17-21V - you have to do that manually with a slide switch on the bottom of the unit. Before sliding, you have to depress a small button with a pen or other pointed object so that the switch will move. I don't have any devices that need the lower range, so that's not an issue for me. The ranges are color coded (blue and green) and the tips are similarly coded to help you figure it out.
The second is that many of the tips are right-angle plugs. This is wonderful! With the older adapter, all of the plugs were long and straight, which put a lot of stress on the device's power jack. A right-angle plug lessens the chance of damaging the device by pressing on the connector.
The detachable AC cord is about six inches long - the idea is that the adapter will hang from the AC outlet. It's a two-prong cord. (Of course, the adapter is compatible with worldwide voltage and frequency.)
Included in the package are a USB B to MiniUSB 5-pin charging cable and an EmPower cable for use on airplanes. Unlike with the older Kensington adapter I had, this one uses a cable to connect directly from the EmPower jack to the device's power tip - the adapter isn't used at all in this case!
Rounding out the accessories is a largish fabric bag with zip closure that holds everything - it's larger than it needs to be but then you don't have to remove the AC cable to make it fit, as I did with the old one.
What might I wish to be different? The cord from the adapter to the tip is about six feet - I'd like it a bit longer. It doesn't seem that Kensington offers a cable extension (the end connected to the adapter is not removable).
A word of caution - check your device at Kensington's web site [...] to make sure that a compatible tip is included, as I don't see that you can buy different tips for other devices. For cellphone and other small devices, Kensington sells "USB Power Tips" that connect to the USB jack, but you may already have a USB charging cable for your device. Then again, if you are only powering a small device such as a cellphone, you don't need this adapter as there are many inexpensive AC-USB power adapters on the market. In particular, it won't convert airplane EmPower to USB!
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