Cell phone chargers come in three types. The cell phone is powered by a rechargeable battery and the battery needs to be recharged to keep it working. Read our report on cell phone Batteries to learn about them. The different types of chargers all have a specific purpose and your habits and usage will help to determine which of the cell phone chargers you need. It is a good idea to have all three if you depend on your cell phone being available at all times. Types of chargers available: AC cell phone charger Automobile cell phone Chargers Emergency cell phone Charger AC Charger Audiovox AC Charger Blackberry AC Charger Motorola AC Charger Nokia AC cell phone charger: The AC cell phone charger is plugged into the house AC electricity and it will produce the DC needed to recharge the cell phone battery. The household 120 volt power is reduced, with a transformer, to the voltage needed to charge the cell phone battery and also should have a circuit to prevent the overcharge of the cell phone battery. When selection an AC Cell phone charger you need to look for the one that is made for your cell phone. This is an item that color and design are not a part of the selection. You need the one to do the job and do it correctly. The only selection you may have beside price is how fast it will recharge the cell phone. Most AC cell phone chargers are connected to the cell phone by a cord and a plug that is inserted into the cell phone. Other AC cell phone chargers charge through pins on the bottom of back of the cell phone, and are charged by placing the cell phone in the charger. The chargers that plug into the cell phone allows the cell phone to be used while it is charging, but limits movement to the length of the charger cord. Some of the chargers that the cell phone is set in allow the phone to be used also, but it is more difficult and for practical purposes can only used in speaker phone mode. Some of the Bluetooth can be recharged with the same AC house charger that you use for your cell phone. Motorola has some cell phones and Bluetooth that can use the same charger. The Bluetooth battery normally can not be removed or replaced. If traveling overseas and taking your cell phone with you be sure to pack your AC charger and a Universal Travel Plug Adapter. This will allow you to recharge your cell phone at night where your staying. The automotive cell phone chargers will work in most automobiles in other countries. Automobile cell phone Chargers: The auto cell phone charger is plugged into the cigar lighter socket or other accessory socket in the automobile. The 12 volts DC from the automobile battery is used to charge the cell phone battery. The voltage is corrected and most have circuits to prevent overcharge of the cell phone battery. Again there is not much selection to choose from. You just need to be sure the charger is for the correct cell phone. It is handy to have a charger in your automobile for use when traveling or on the trip to and from work. There is not much maintenance on the charger. Be sure the plug is inserted in the socket in th automobile securely. If it doesn't work then check to see if it has a fuse. Most have a fuse in the end of the plug that goes in the electric accessory socket in the automobile. If the fuse is open then replace with one of the same size. Bypassing or replacing with a larger fuse can cause electrical system failure or fire. Leaving your cell phone connected to the charger in your automobile, when parked, will allow it to charge and be ready when you come back. If your auto battery is weak you could come back to a dead battery in your automobile. Emergency Cell Phone charger (Battery) Emergency Cell Phone charger (Battery) Emergency Cell Phone charger (Solar) Emergency cell phone Charger: The Emergency Cell Phone charger is normally only used when the other types of cell phone chargers are not available. This can be when electricity is off in your house. When your car battery has died and your stranded. You are out camping or hiking and have no access to automotive or household power to charge your cell phone battery. The battery type emergency cell phone charger is a box that you can put AA or AAA batteries in and then a short cable to connect to your phone charge jack. This will give your cell phone a charge to allow more time talking when your battery has gone dead and other chargers are not available. Be sure you have fresh batteries in the emergency charger or have them handy. It will not work without good batteries in them. Most come with an assortment of cables to connect to different cell phone. Be sure you have the correct cable for your cell phone. You can keep your emergency cell phone charger in your purse, automobile glove box, office desk drawer, etc. They are not much good if you don't have access to it when you need it or if the batteries in the emergency cell phone charger are dead. The solar cell phone charger is great for camping or survival type purposes. Can be used if there would be an extended time with loss of electricity, or your away for electrical sources. The solar cell phone charger will probably be much slower charging than the other types of chargers. Green: It is a good idea to unplug your cell phone charger when it is not in use. This will save on the electricity as it will still use a small amount of power when not charging. The cell phone charger will produce a small amount of heat when not charging and more heat when charging. Safety: Always be sure you have the proper charger for the cell phone you have. Using the wrong one can cause fire or explosion of the battery. The chargers are not that expensive, so be sure you have the correct one for your cell phone. Where to purchase: You can purchase the cell phone chargers and other accessories from you wireless carrier but most of them have high prices. With some shopping you can find Discounted prices many up to 80% below the wireless carrier price. Check some of the stores in the box on right side of the page, and also in Shopping with Jo.