WildCharge iPhone Case – Amazing Wire-Free Charging Solution
For the last several weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of using a WildCharge wire-free case with my iPhone, and since becoming spoiled with never needing to plug my iPhone in to charge, all I can say is, corded chargers are so old-school!
The WildCharge wire-free iPhone case is a very grippy black silicon wrap-around case, with a special hidden feature – it has a dock connector built in that attaches to several contacts on the back of the case. When the iPhone is set down on a special charging surface, the electrical current is transferred into the iPhone without needing to connect any wires.
As you can see in the image above, the case is very slim and adds almost no bulk to the form factor of the iPhone. Even the contacts on the back of the case are very minimal in size. In practical use, the WildCharge case doesn’t feel any different than any other silicon wrap-around case.
I absolutely love being able to just set my iPhone on the bedroom night-stand and immediately have it start charging, without me needing to fumble with plugging the cord in and stretching it to the outlet. When I’m at work, I can just set my iPhone on my desk as I usually do, except now it’s also getting topped of every time. When it’s time to go, I just grab my iPhone and stuff it in my pocket with no need to unplug any wires.
The WildCharge charging pad is compatible with all of WildCharge’s wire-free cases, which cover a wide variety of consumer electronics, from iPods/iPhones, to BlackBerrys, WinMo phones, most Motorola phones, and many more, and can handle multiple devices sitting on one pad.
The only complaint I have about the WildCharge iPhone case, is the fact that the design of the built-in dock connector prevents me from syncing my iPhone to my Mac without removing the silicon case. Not that it’s difficult to remove or put back on, but it’s also not the easiest to work the connector back into the phone. I think a future model should include a pass-through connector on the bottom, so that I could plug in my sync cable without removing the WildCharge case.
Other than that minor detail, the WildCharge wire-free case is absolutely amazing, and so incredibly useful. I am glad to see progress in the wire-free charging movement, and look forward to future consumer electronics doing away with charging cords and going towards contact charging. Or even better, true wireless charging – we already have that, it’s called lightning!
Hopefully WildCharge will also offer different colors someday! I’d love to have a white case to match my white iPhone, or even a dark red case. You can purchase the WildCharge iPhone bundle, which includes one case and the special charging pad, for $79.99. Additional cases for the iPhone cost $34.99, additional charging pads are $49.99.
WildCharge website: http://www.wildcharge.com
*** WildCharge provided a demo unit to Just Another iPhone Blog for the review of the WildCharge iPhone Bundle. For further information regarding our site’s review policies, please see the “About” page.
That is completely….awesome. I saw this when it was released a lil while back, and was waiting for a review. I love the idea of no plugging in. I do have two quick questions about the item.
1) how was the charging rate in your opinion? I've noticed that my 3gs charges faster plugged into a wall outlet verses a USB cable to the computer. How would u rate it verses those?
2) how long is the power cord to the base? I hate how short the stock iPhone charging cable is, as it us pretty restrictive without an extension cord. Just wondering how much flexibility on placement if the pad that you get out OTB.
Thanks Josh…and good review!
Thanks for the comment! Good questions. Answers:
1) The charging rate seems no different from other times when I would plug it directly into a wall outlet.
2) The base's power cord is about 5-6' feet, so definitely longer than the iPhone charging cable.
I love the WildCharge so much, it's almost a perfect solution for the iPhone. And I say *almost* because of the one issue I noted above about the lack of a pass-through sync port. Other than that, it's awesome!
Thanks for the comment! Good questions. Answers:
1) The charging rate seems no different from other times when I would plug it directly into a wall outlet.
2) The base's power cord is about 5-6' feet, so definitely longer than the iPhone charging cable.
I love the WildCharge so much, it's almost a perfect solution for the iPhone. And I say *almost* because of the one issue I noted above about the lack of a pass-through sync port. Other than that, it's awesome!
Cool idea but I don't know about having to remove the cover to sync. I am also curious about the charging rate. I've heard these type of chargers charge slower and are less efficient. I think I saw 80% efficiency or so somewhere although I'll be damned if I can remember where. If thats true, the environmental effect might be something to consider…
Yeah, having to remove the case to sync is kind of an annoyance to me, though I don't do it too often. A lot more lately as I've been messing around with jailbreak, and have been restoring my iPhone a lot. I haven't noticed any reduction is charging efficiency, in fact it seems to almost charge faster. Could just be my perception though. It's definitely not slower that's for sure.
So the bundle is $5 more than buying he case and pad separately? I must be missing something. I would totally jump on this, but that nub on the bottom is a real eyesore for me. And like you said for syncing, and car charging, no bueno. Very stellar concept though.
Rxmxsh, the bundle sells for $79.99, which is a $5 savings over the cost of the skin ($34.99) and the pad ($49.99) if purchased separately ($84.98).
It’s taken quite a while, but wireless power is finally becoming a reality. Granted, we’re not so thanks for sharing.