I was recently fortunate enough to get my hands on a Martin Fields Mini-Sync or ''Retractable SyncCharger Cable" as they call it (thanks Matt).  This neat little device is the perfect alternative to carrying either your charger and/or cradle around with you, permitting you to both charge and synchronise anywhere there is a suitable USB port available.

As with many devices of this nature, the unit consists of a central housing which contains the cable and rewind mechanism and a plug at either end - one USB and one Xda II plug.  When fully retracted, the cable measures about 12cm long (by 3.5cm x 1.5cm), it is extended by holding both plugs and pulling apart gently.  Approximately every 20cm (total length, 10cm per side) a click is heard and a slight jolt is felt in the cable, allowing the cable to slowly retract at these points will cause it to lock at that length;  releasing it more rapidly will enable the cable to retract fully back into the central housing.  The cable can extend to a maximum length of about 112cm but my final lock point occurred at about 105cm (probably because I dismantled it, see below!).

As indicated, the cable supports both data and power.  I had no problems synchronising to my PC wth it and it happily recharged my battery from 8% at the same rate as my cradle without the power plugged in - and, yes, it really recharged rather than some others which appear to charge but apparently drain the battery instead! 

According to the web site, the cable is ''Durable: Able to withstand heavy usage" - hmm, what is "heavy usage"?  Unfortunately, when mine arrived it would not lock at any but the first stop.  As it turned out it probably didn't need anything much except the main case screw tightening but I didn't find this out until after completely dismantling it!  The design is very simple inside and relies on a 1mm (!!!) diameter ball-bearing moving in a complex groove.  I found it very easy to tangle/jam the cable internally by only pulling out one end of the cable, though some gentle jiggling sorted it out again.  In addition, the nature of the device means that the cable has to be relatively thin and flat and doesn't look too durable - consequently I do not intend to be letting go of the cable ends and leaving it to auto-retract on its own.  The USB plug relatively short and I found it quite difficult to get a grip on when I put it in the deeper sockets at the front of my PC - I'm a little concerned that this end of the cable will be the first to suffer from any failure.

In the end, however, l am very pleased with my new Retractable SyncCharger Cable.  It is small and neat, yet has enough length to reach my work desk even from the USB sockets at the back of the box under my desk.  It means I can stop lugging my cradle back and forth between home and work and ensures yet one more method is available for me to help keep my Xda II charged. 

At around AUD$29 from our friends at Press Digital I would recommend anyone who needs to sync. and/or charge at multiple locations to get one, or at least put it high on your Christmas list. 

The SyncCharger Cable gets a must-have score of 9.9/10