Living the techno-life often surrounds us with a tangle of wires for all our devices that need charging. We need individual AC adapters for charging our cell phones, iPods, Bluetooth headsets, MP3 players and other devices. Worse yet, we need multiple AC outlets for plugging in those adapters, often requiring one or more power strips.

A simple, elegant solution to this problem is the Chargepod (www.callpod.com, $49.95), a hockey puck-sized device that’s only 5/8 inches thick and houses six charging ports, all connected to just one AC adapter. Each charging port can be connected to and charge any one of more than 3,000 different electronic devices by using a short (three-inch) type-specific adapter cord. The Chargepod comes bundled with three adapter cords, one each for the most common electronics, and a certificate for one more free adapter cord of your choice. Additional adapter cords are $9.95.

The Chargepod also comes with a handy nylon zipper storage case, making it easy to bring it along when you travel. Also available as an option is a car adapter that uses the familiar cigarette lighter-type plug (the car adapter is included at no extra charge in Chargepod’s Value Pack, $59.95).

Using the Chargepod is simple: just plug the AC adapter into a wall socket (110-240 volts), and then plug the other end into the Chargepod . A green light tells you it’s powered and ready to go. Just plug the device-specific adapter cord into your cell phone, iPod, or other device, then plug the other end of the adapter cord into one of the ports on the Chargepod, and voila! The Chargepod charges each of the devices you have plugged in. And just to be sure, a blue light indicates charging is active.

The round format of the Chargepod, with its charge ports distributed around its periphery, is handy for wide shelves or desk use. We’d wish for a model available in a rectangular format, with ports along one edge only, making it suitable for narrow shelves, but maybe such a format will become available in future versions.

Chargepod worked very well for us, and we especially liked being able to plug in so many devices without having to use extra space for a pad or place each device in a specific place on a pad, or deal with some of the other problems of other charging devices. It’s also handy to have a light to let you know your device is actually charging. The Chargepod is designed to charge small electronics only. It will not charge laptops.

With the increase in numbers of devices so many people have, all in need of charging, Chargepod is a welcome solution to dealing with all those cords. Recommended.