‘The Changer’ is both a phone charger and pair of headphones [Sticky or Not]

Because there are so many electronic devices on the market, you can easily find yourself lugging around a bunch of cables at once.

With that in mind, New York-based manufacturer 49101 Electronics has come up with the Changer, an Indiegogo-backed device that’s part-phone charger and part-headphone pair.

When listening to music, the Changer can function as a pair of Bluetooth earbuds that have a battery life of up to 12 hours, according to 49101. Later, when you need to charge your phone, you can snap the actual headphone bits off to reveal Lightning, microUSB and USB-C connectors. The cable can be plugged into the wall, a power bank or into another device like a phone to share a charge (as well as transmit data).

49101 stresses that this dual-functionality doesn’t come at the cost of the headphone or charging quality, though. The company says the headphones have been awarded “Japanese Hi-res certification” and are IPX5 waterproof. The charging components, meanwhile, are “high-speed” and have 500H standby, according to 49101.

The Changer is available in ‘Sparkling Black,’ ‘Passion Red’ and ‘Champagne Gold’ on Indiegogo. Currently, you can snag the Changer at the early bird price of $88 USD (about $116 CAD), with a $9 shipping cost added to Canadian orders.

Verdict: Sticky

This seems like a solid solution for someone who wants to lighten their cable load. Beyond the usual crowdfunding issues that can arise, I’m a bit skeptical that 49101 will be able to meet its $20,000 goal, seeing as how only about $1,250 has been raised at the time of writing. Assuming that all pans out, though, then this could end up being a really neat product.

Note: This post is part of an ongoing series titled Sticky or Not in which staff reporter Bradly Shankar analyzes new and often bizarre gadgets, rating them sticky (good) or not (bad).