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The TYLT Y-Charge + Sync is a great addition to any road trip. A Y-shaped gadget that turns a cigarette lighter in a car into two charging ports, it’s handy for trips either with others, or if you’re travelling with multiple iPads and phones etc.

Y-shaped

Its shape suggests sharing; the TYLT Y-Charge + Sync’s two USB slots send power in two directions, though both are rated at 2.1 amps, which is critical to its success. Not only does it mean that it’s able to simultaneously charge two smartphones in double-quick time (count on about 1% per minute for an iPhone 5S), but it can power-up a tablet, too.

Apple Lightning or micro USB

Although there’s nothing particular Apple-y about the TYLT Y-Charge + Sync as a gadget, it addresses the needs of iPad and iPhone users by also supplying a 2ft-long cable that terminates in the Apple Lightning connector. However, that’s merely an option – a micro USB version is also available.

Ribbon-flat & red

That long red (or blue, black or yellow) cable is ribbon-like and flat, too, though it’s a side-issue; most will bring their own, smaller charging cables – though it’s rigid enough to keep well out of the way of gear sticks and handbrakes. It’s also about visibility; it’s much harder to lose than your regular cables.

Cracking cable

Handy for renting cars during trips and for road warriors driving between appointments, it’s the fast-charging capabilities of the TYLT Y-Charge + Sync that make it a cracking cable for a life on the go.