Q: It takes up a lot of space in my backpack! Is that black box really that important? Are there any chargers that don't have this annoying plastic thing?
A: That black box IS the charger. the wires are just wires to connect the charger to the wall and the charger to your computer. No, there is no way to get rid of it. (Technically it can, and in some older times, has been built directy into the comptuer... Toshiba did this with some models, but it increases the size and weight of the computer.) The box contains transformers and circuitry to convert 110 volt AC into a fixed DC Current, which, depending on the laptop, is usually 12 to 19 volts.