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I am extremely impressed with the way they have designed this to fit into a minimum space and completely enclose the connectors for their protection.
However, they are not so clever with their choice of dimensions for the USB connector. The connector is much thicker than other similar connectors I have and it is an extremely tight fit in any standard USB receptacle. I measured several connectors of this type (without metal shells) and they are all 2 mm ±0.1 mm thick. The flipSYNK is 2.8 mm thick; nearly 50% thicker!
Since I am otherwise so impressed with the design, I decided to call Scosche customer service to see if this was some kind of manufacturing anomaly. But the rep said it was deliberately thicker for a tight fit so it wouldn't have any danger of falling out. Frankly my greater concern is that it would damage the connector in my $2000 laptop. It is so hard to push into a USB receptacle that I really don't want to risk trying. I have tested the snugness of all my 2 mm thick connectors and don't feel there is any risk of any of them coming loose with normal handling.
Since I do love the design other than this critical flaw, I have decided to file (or sand) down the connector to 2 mm and keep it instead of getting a refund. But I feel the extra thickness is such a serious flaw that I only gave it 2 stars; which I will happily raise to the full 5 if they ever fix this error.
I will add a photo to illustrate the issue.
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So, I read a lot of mixed reviews about the FlipSYNC, but I'm extremely glad that I didn't let the negative reviews dissuade me from buying this. The concept is pretty simple. It's a Apple device charge cable in compact keychain-sized package. It's a brilliantly simple idea and well-executed in my opinion.Some of the negative reviews I mentioned pertained to the thickness of the USB connector and some people's issues trying to make it fit in their computers' USB ports. While it's definitely a tight fit, I have to say I had exactly zero problem getting it in the USB port of my MacBook Pro. It's a tight fit to keep it from accidentally being pulled out, but it's not so tight that you have to worry about damaging the USB port. That's just silliness or paranoia or both.
Long story short, it's a simple device that does exactly one thing and does it well. I'm constantly losing sync cables or leaving them at home. Either way, it seems I never have one when I truly need it. But, now, I have one on me at all times in a convenient little package. What more could you ask for?
The only caveat is that it is a little hard to get on or off a standard key ring. It basically suffers from the same difficulties with key rings that most car key fobs do. I skirted the issue by putting it on a smaller thinner key ring that then went on to my larger key ring with the rest of my keys -again, basically the same thing they do with car key fobs.
The convenience factor of the FlipSYNC more than makes up for this one small thing, though, so if you're on the fence, do what I did and take the chance. It's not that much of a risk (got mine for $12), and I think you'll be glad you did.
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I read reviews about the "USB chip insert" issues with this when I bought it, but I thought it was people being finicky. It is not. The "USB" end of this device is WAY too thick for practical use every day. I have a mid-2009 MacBook pro, which cost over 1500 new, and I fear every time I use this device that I'm going to snap one of my (only two) USB ports from the inside because this thing literally JAMS itself in.On another note, it also frequently enters a "Cannot charge with this accessory" mode on my iPhone. I know this is an Apple-approved accessory as it bears the "Made for" and "Works with" logos on the box, so I might need to return it, or maybe its due to the fact that I'm not inserting it fully, risking that the inner "reed" of my USB port would be bent or damaged.
So far, however, I have used the device for successful sync (and some charging) of my iPhone 3GS, and I can still use those ports for other USB devices without issue, but I'm worried about what long-term issues could arise if I continue to shove and jam this thing into my expensive laptop (I'm sure people with less expensive laptops would be just as worried, its not JUST a Mac thing.)
Honest reviews on Scosche IPUSBMW flipSYNC Keychain USB Charge and Sync Cable, White
I purchased the flipSYNK cable with high hopes that it would fulfill my need for a compact and unobtrusive cable to use with my MacBook Pro. Also, despite the fact that I had read the reviews discussing the strange fit between the plug and the USB port, I decided to purchase it anyway figuring that not everyone seemed to find that to be an issue and that I could just see for myself if it was a problem. Unfortunately, I came to regret my decision.This product fails in a number of ways (in reverse order of importance):
1st, the plastic centerpiece of the cable is meant to be a protective cover for the plugs on the ends of the cord. However, the cord itself is too short to insert both plugs into the protective cover at the same time. So you have to choose which end to protect when storing the cable -one or the other but not both.
2nd, as other reviewers have noted, the fit between the USB plug and the port is extremely tight and you have to use substantial force to jam the plug into the USB port on the computer. Although I was able to get it in, the fact that you have to use so much force did not inspire confidence and that alone made me leery of using the cable.
3rd, having jammed the plug into the USB port and then connected my phone, the laptop recognized the phone and the phone indicated that it had been plugged in but the phone did not charge and syncing did not work. I tried plugging and unplugging the phone several times but kept getting the same result.
4th, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, although jamming the plug into the port did not seem to physically break the USB port (and I say it did not "seem to" because I am still wondering if it might have caused some latent issue that is yet to arise), my computer did nonetheless react in a very disturbing way. Basically, a short time after plugging the phone in, I lost all of the icons on my menu bar and the time and date was reset to something else. Then, a few seconds later, the screen on my laptop went beserk displaying a static like collection of colored lines and nothing else. I immediately unplugged the cable (again, with some force) and although the screen went back to normal, much to my dismay, the problem with the menu bar persisted. I eventually had to reboot to restore the settings back to normal. Feeling a bit daring, and wanting to make sure that it was not something other than the cable causing these problems, I attempted once again to connect my phone to the laptop with the cable, only to get the same result again. That was enough adventure for me and I decided at that point the cable was going back.
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This thing is great, except I can't comment on how long it survives because I only got it last week. It really is more of an emergency cable, and while it is built like a keychain, if you have more than a few keys on a ring, this will make your key bundle annoyingly bulky. I'd consider buying this, knowing that you are probably just going to put it in your bag or carry it around with you independent of your keys.The biggest complaint that I have though, is that if you have a Macbook Pro, (and others have mentioned this as well) the USB plug feels like it is glued into the socket. It fits entirely too tight, to the point that I have to pick up my computer and pry it out with my other hand. Beware of thisit is really annoying, but I'm more concerned about what a $13.00 piece of hardware will do to a $1300.00 machine. Not such a small gripe, considering its one of the only options out there for a shorter cable.
Overall though, I like it. Once they fix the USB port size issue, it's a great product, but again, I'm not sure how long this thing can last.
UPDATE: MAY 2ND, 2011
CAVEAT: IF YOU HAVE A MACBOOK PRO...
Don't buy this. It has rendered one USB port useless because nothing will stay plugged in. Because of this, I am pretty disappointed in this product. This has led to faulty syncing with my iPad, and eventually the iPad had to be restored because of some sort of connection error. My computer no longer recognized the iPad from this port using this device, therefore it is a faulty piece of plastic that is overall pretty useless. Stick with the cables, or use something made by Griffin. This thing is a piece of junk.
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