Power Practical, the company behind the Power Pot has started selling a device that people who use a lot of USB charging products will find incredibly useful.

So many people who own smartphones, tablets and other USB charging devices typically leave the device on the charger overnight or for the same amount of time every day. You may arrive at work and put your phone on the charger, leaving it there until the commute home. If you’re like me you have several different chargers that plug into the wall and if all else fails you use a USB port on your computer.

That’s why you start to notice that sometimes your phone or other device gets fully charged and other times it only charges halfway. The natural assumption is that you’re wearing your battery down. That may not be the case at all.

Power Practical’s new Practical Meter will help you determine whether your USB charging source is delivering a half charge or a full charge. The Practical Meter is a USB-meter that provides real time feedback allowing users to see whether their device is charging at half or full speed. LED meters light up right before the user’s eyes signalling power emission ranging from 1 to 10 watts and covering the entire range of smartphone and tablet charging.

The Practical Meter will help solve slow charge times commonly encountered from PCs, solar panels and third-party chargers. Smartphones commonly charge at 2-watts or less on standard USB data ports, resulting in charge times as high as six hours. The Practical Meter provides that information, and cuts down charge times by as much as 75% with the included 3-in-1 fast charging cable, compatible with iOS and Android devices, micro & mini USB.

Power Practical originally put the Practical Meter on Kickstarter hoping to raise $9,999 in 30 days. They actually raised $167,820 and pre-sold 10,000 units. Obviously this USB power problem is plaguing a lot of people.

“We’re really excited to be bringing the Practical Meter to retail,” says Matt Ford, CEO of Power Practical. “We got an overwhelming reaction to our Kickstarter campaign, which made us realize that this is something people have a serious need for. You spend hours charging your phone only to have it halfway charge or discharge rapidly and you have no idea why. This stops that.”

If you’ve got someone on your holiday list constantly complaining that their phone or tablet isn’t charging right, the Practical Meter is the stocking stuffer for them. You can order it at thinkgeek Grand St or powerpractical.com