[cigarjockey]

When I bought the Curve last week the dealer told me I could not use my Motorola (Razr) car charger as the wattage is different.
What I do not get is they both can be charged through a usb cable on my laptop. Was she correct?

[trucky]

I've used other manufacturers USB car chargers with no ill effect and I've heard many others do the same. By default all USB car chargers should provide the same voltage and amperage to any connected device:

"The USB specification provides a 5 V supply on a single wire from which connected USB devices may draw power. The specification provides for no more than 5.25 V and no less than 4.75 V (5 V�5%) between the positive and negative bus power lines. Initially, a device is only allowed to draw 100 mA. It may request more current from the upstream device in units of 2 mA up to a maximum of 500 mA."

[cigarjockey]

Thanks for the quick reply.

[ricky99797]

It will work fine, I use a razr car charger for my curve and pearl.

[wnm]

I asked the same question, and was told that there is no information confirming the use of non BB chargers with the BB. He said this more from a warranty standpoint that if something happened to your BB and you were charging it with something other than the BB charger the damage wouldn't be covered.

The issue is both voltage for the battery, and the amps coming from the charger. You should not use a charger that mismatches voltage with the battery and exceeds the battery amperage. Under amperage can also be an issue.

Having said that, from a car standpoint, unless it is the only way you charge your BB, it probably is not an issue for infrequent short term charging.

As for USB charging, my RAZR never would charge from USB. I think the RAZR is smart enough to know it's not getting the correct juice, because the other day my wife tried to charge her RAZR with my BB charger and it would not charge.

[trucky]

As for USB charging, my RAZR never would charge from USB. I think the RAZR is smart enough to know it's not getting the correct juice, because the other day my wife tried to charge her RAZR with my BB charger and it would not charge.

It's a tricky subject when charging or not from a PC... some cables are designated as "charging USB" and others are not. I've had mixed results using both kinds of cables with different phones and even different ports on the same laptop or PC. Most always it's best to stick with the authentic OEM equipment end to end but you'll find the other (cheaper) stuff will often work just as well.

[NoMoreWindows]

When my kids had Razr's we tried using each other's charging cable and couldn't get it to work.

[Gianni1117]

I was wondering this same issue! I have a car charger that has a usb port, I used the blackberry usb cable and it didn't charge. But oddly enough using the ipod cable it would charge the ipod just fine. I tried on numerous blackberry 8320's and none worked. I also tried using another car charger that was for the t-mo Wing. It didn't work. I just chalked it up to incapability.

[trucky]

I was wondering this same issue! I have a car charger that has a usb port, I used the blackberry usb cable and it didn't charge. But oddly enough using the ipod cable it would charge the ipod just fine. I tried on numerous blackberry 8320's and none worked. I also tried using another car charger that was for the t-mo Wing. It didn't work. I just chalked it up to incapability.

When you toss a USB port or hub into the mix you never really know what you're gonna get. some overcharge to make up for the extra ports and some undercharge. I would want to stick to a direct connection for a BB.

[MBW]

Follow the numbers.

The USB spec is 5VDC at 500mA. If a charger really delivers that, a BB should charge - though a BB is always happier with 700-800mA.

Most chargers have the spec written on them.

Also, some USB cords (especially retractables) that are rated for carrying signals don't use a big enough wire size to let that charging current through, so that's a second element to check.

Other than that, the USB spec is the common ground for all of this.

[asp13]

All the car chargers we sell for usb are the same charger with a different package for the different brand. You should have no problems.

[mookish]

He said this more from a warranty standpoint that if something happened to your BB and you were charging it with something other than the BB charger the damage wouldn't be covered.

Umm, how would anyone know what kind of charger someone was using to cause said damage?