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[karohemd]

I saw an ad for this during Fastforward on Five last night, wanted to check the website but it had crashed. Now, if you're running an ad on national TV (even if it is Five), you can expect many people to go to your prominently displayed website for your shiny (but stupid) gadget. Somebody who can't anticipate this sort of thing inspires little confidence in their products.
Not that I wanted it because I'm not a gadget freak and from what I've read elsewhere, it's a rather stupid design, i.e. it doesn't work as simple as just plopping your gadgets onto the mat, you have to stick it in a sleeve (and you need to buy a sleeve for each device) so there isn't really much difference from using a dock or charger. Rubbish!
A big contender for the overhyped but useless gadget of the year award, I think.

Comments

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

It's early days yet ...

... the devices shown on here have a small plaque stuck on the back to pick up the power (for the iPhones/iPods it's a sleeve indeed) ... however Nokia has just announced they've joined the wireless power alliance (or whatever it is called) so there could be Nokia phones in the future with the circuitry built in ...

... but I doubt it will become widespread, as Nokia has only recently agreed to have a common power adapter standard ... which I thought meant it was going micro USB for everything, but it actually means it's going for the tiny 2mm adapter for everything, but that anything that has a microUSB port will be able to charge from that as well/instead. The justification is that there are over 1 billion phone adapters out there that can work with the 2mm socket (counting car leads as well I think), so why make all those landfill when they can be reused with new Nokia phones.

How would you make a wireless power adapter for current devices without them needing some form of sleeve anyway? I'm just hoping it can recharge the mag strip on my credit cards and the tape and MD in the walkmans I'll recharge on it :-)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

What I mean is that it only makes sense if you can just drop your device onto the mat to charge without having to have anything attached to it. As you say, if they work with manufacturers, they might well come up with a way of integrating the circuit into the battery itself.

Other than the attached lump, there's another drawback: When you charge your phone via a lead, you can still use it while it's charging. Take it off the mat and it will stop.

Basically, a good idea that needs a lot of work before it's in any way user friendly.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

My iPhone has a docking station (which admittedly is on the end of a lead) so taking it out of the docking station also stops it charging while being used.

i tend to unplug my mobile when I answer a call on it, rather than leave it plugged in, as I will often want to take the phone to another place (back downstairs to the couch, into the computer room etc.)

my iphone is in a case ... if the charging adapter is in the case as well, then when I get home at night I just need to drop it on the charging plate (bedside table i'd guess) and it is charged ready for the next day.

The ideal solution is a butler :-)

Using bulky wall warts and long thin leads isn't user friendly either ... maybe USB is the solution ... let every device have a standard (mini/micro) USB socket and recharge from a USB lead, so you can plug any device into any charger and it works.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

One charger (with selectable output voltage) with a standardised plug for all would be ideal, indeed.

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

I don't understand why selectable output voltage? Just make everything charge from 5v and get it over with :-)

In fact, one of the biggest problems to me is that you can't tell the voltage of a device's socket unless it is written on the device or you haven't lost the wall-wart yet ... so it's relatively easy to plug 9v or 12v into a 3v input socket.

The biggest problem with USB is that the standard says 500mA per socket for maximum current draw, which is why some portable hard drives come with a Y-shaped lead to get two lots of 500mA out of the hub/computer.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Another bit that needs standardising. ;)