GadgetReview

When we saw Powermat’s offering at CES 2009 we were pretty excited.  After all, who doesn’t want to ditch the always cubersome plug in process for all their mobile gadgets.  But like most gadgets, especially those that offer a game changer to the industry, skepticism is abound.  So does the Powermat live up to all it promises to be? …Continue reading: Powermat Portable Mat Review

Last week Powermat finally went retail with their wireless charging offering, and within a few days yet another contender has emerged on the market.  From the folks at Gear4 comes the PowerPad.  It’s not clear if it too uses inductive charging, or takes a similar route to that of the Wild Charge, but one thing is for sure: it’s built specifically for the iPhone.

Aesthetically it doesn’t look half bad and here’s hoping that it’s cheaper than Powermat’s setup, though they offer compatibility with a greater number of mobile devices.  Expect more info to arrive sometime in November, with a preorder kicking off 10/15 and official retail launch sometime in December.

BTW, don’t confuse this with Nintendo’s offering…from the 80s.  Commercial after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: PowerPad: PowerMat’s Arch Enemy

We just got our hands on the Powermat!  The packaging is very polished and the Powermat kit includes a unverisal adapter for all your products as well as a carrying case.  Unfortunately, they didn’t send over an iPhone compatible skin, but did manage include two Blackberry receivers, which replace the battery door, adding very little bulk to the handset.  Check the quick hands on video below and expect a review in a few weeks time.

Hit the ‘leap’ for a ton more pics …Continue reading: Powermat Hands On – A Ton Of Pics And Video (video)

It’s been about 10 months since any word from the company, but Powermat’s wireless charging solution has finally gone live.

The design of the ‘receivers’ (the cases for your products that make the wireless charging possible) look largely unchanged from CES, but then again it’s a bit hard to tell looking at a website product page.  Hopefully we can score one in the next week and bust out a review.

Expect to drop about $40 for the receivers and $100 for the mats.

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During our visit to CES 2009 we saw the PowerMat.  This was the first time I saw wireless charging done simple.  Now Duracell is entering the market with a similar product called the myGrid SmartPower and it looks to be a little easier than that PowerMat.  What we saw of the PowerMat was that you needed to attach a sleeve to your gadget in order for the wireless charging to initiate.  From the looks of this picture it seems that the connection between your gadget and the mat is a much smaller attachment that isn’t going weigh things down as much.  I like that schematic better but I am not so sure I want anything attached to my phone or gadget during the course of my day.  No word yet on price but it will ship sometime in October.

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While wireless charging has yet to hit critical mass, a consortium – called The Wireless Power Consortium – has already been formed in the hopes of solidifying a standard for the technology.  And today they’ve announced their latest spec, 0.95, which has little to no meaning to you and me, but should mean that someone is setting the bar to insure we don’t all electrocute ourselves or fry our products into submission.  And much like Apple’s ‘made for iPod’, they’ve developed a logo, “Qi”, to signify when charging pads and battery packs are compatible with one and other.  The Consortium members include Duracell, Samsung, Philips, and National Semiconductor.  When and if WildCharge and PowerMat will get on board has yet to be seen.

Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: Wireless Charging Logo Announced, Standard Set So We Don’t Fry Ourselves

While we anxiously await Powermat’s offering and Apple to embed a solution directly into the iPhone, Wildcharge has officially announced the availability of their wireless charging solution for iPods and iPhones.  Much like Powermat, a ’skin’ containing the necessary components is attached to the iPhone and when placed onto a Wildcharge pad begin to charge sans wires.  Of course, the pad has to be plugged into the wall and it is said that inductive charging, the technology currently behind today’s wireless charging isn’t as efficient as the traditional method, which of course gets all the watch dog groups in a huff.  The iPhone Wildcharge wireless charging solution ships in early July while you can pick up the iPod version now for the same price of $34.99.  Or you can opt for the bundle, which is $79.99.

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Full release after the ‘leap’ …Continue reading: iPhone Wireless Charging Has Arrived By Way Of WildCharge

As each day passes my skepticism grows as to whether or not OEMs can be successful in producing their own wireless charging solutions for phones and other portable devices.  After all, the technology is hardly unique; case in point PowerMat, eCoupled and Palm’s Touchstone.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next iteration of the iPhone includes a wireless charging system, which of course will be sold for a pretty penny.  But, despite my skepticism yet another wireless charging company has entered the market: Mojo Mobility.  And today they announced support for Intel’s Mobile Internet Device at the Computex show.  The irony of course is that what might be an already dead company is announcing support for a product category that was dead upon arrival.  In other words the new MIDs are smartphones.

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What is it: A wireless charging solution for multiple gadgets.

Features: Uses “Magnetic Induction” to transfer energy wirelessly to portable devices such as iPhones, PSP’s, Laptops, etc. For any gadget under 100 watts, a receiver is attached to the device. Anything that is above 100 watts, such as a laptop, will use a retractable attachment that connects magnetically to the mat. Other uses include being able to use them under a counter top for kitchen appliances or in a wall powering TV’s, lights, and such. Once manufacturers get on board and install the receivers with in their devices, PowerMat will dominate

Price: Mat for $100, receivers for $30

Street Date: Q4 2009