HTC 3-in-1 USB Adapter for Magic User Reviews
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Alternator whine makes this useless in the car
User: Max Cantor , Aug 5, 2009
Pros: Small, simple
Cons: Most obvious use case (in the car) doesnt work
I was really looking forward to using this in my car to listen to music while charging my phone, but it didnt work out at all. When I plug it into my car charger, and use an audio cable to pipe the audio out into my car stereos "auxiliary in" port, I get "alternator whine", a high-pitched whine that increases to the extent that I rev my engine. Even in loud songs, I can still hear it oscillating every time I accelerate and lay off the gas, and it drives me absolutely crazy, making it impossible to enjoy any song. My stereo has no USB port to plug into for alternate power.
Worse, HTC apparently doesnt even really manufacture it. I e-mailed their support and called their accessories department, and they said that they dont manufacture any car chargers or 3-in-1 adapters, so apparently this is some kind of OEM contraption that Androidians simply marks as manufactured by HTC.
Im pretty amazed that what must be a very common use case for this product wasnt tested thoroughly enough to reveal an issue so glaringly obvious. Maybe theres nothing wrong with the adapter and its actually a flaw in my car charger, but HTC and Androidians are so allergic to handling support cases individually that no one could even speculate as to whether that was possible.
What a disappointment.
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