I use a retractable USB cord along with my really short cables. You can get them for a couple dollars and can get male/female, micro, mini, etc connectors.
That being said, I can plug in my kindle or tablet and let it rest on the floor or counters in my kitchen with my short (~4 inch) cords in my house, but not on my boat or in most coffee shops (where outlets are too high or hard to reach).

