Review: Powermat Wireless Charging System for iPhone
The Powermat fits right in with the habits you’ve already formed. You probably set your iPhone down on your desk when it’s not in use, and setting the iPhone down on a Powermat is no different — except for the part where it begins to wirelessly recharge your device. It’s the same kind of magic technology that electric toothbrushes and the Palm Pre’s Touchstone use, and it isn’t a gimmick.
I spend a lot of time at my computer desk, and I’ve been surprised at the way my habits have changed, simply because I can charge while untethered, and pick the iPhone up whenever I want to.
iPhone 3G/S only
Before I get into the meat of the review, it should be stated that the review unit I received is for the iPhone 3G/S only. It won ‘t work for the iPhone 4 or any other iOS devices. The case is built specifically for the iPhone 3G/S form factor, and the base station is shaped only for that case.
Receiver Case
The case is definitely larger than most (as tall as a Mophie Juice Pack Air, but 3/4 the thickness), but the soft-touch finish is fantastic. I ‘m really impressed with how the finish was applied to the inside as well, minimizing the chance that the case will scratch the device. The fit is solid and secure, although there is a slight misalignment along the right side of my review unit.
The earphone jack, silent switch, and buttons are all easily accessible, and the microphone and speaker are protected by grills at the botto, which makes the speaker less prone to being muted by a hand when the iPhone is in landscape mode.
The one place that is blocked is the 30-pin connector. This port is taken up by the case (like in a Mophie), and a micro-USB port is provided between the speaker/mic grills for syncing (and charging, if you ‘re on-the-go).
On the one hand, this makes the iPhone much more compatible for users who already have other micro-USB charged devices (you can charge and sync through this port too, you ‘re not limited to charging through the mat). However, it also makes the iPhone incompatible with all manner of 30-pin port accessories, like stereo docks, battery packs, and the default iPhone cable. Taking the case off isn ‘t very difficult (I suggest doing it over a table), but it won ‘t be much fun if you have to do it on a daily basis.
Charging Mat
As good as the accompanying case is, it doesn ‘t hold a candle to the charger. Now, I realize the product is called a Powermat, but the word ‘mat ‘ simply doesn ‘t suffice, because the charger is built like a rock.
Setup is as simple as plugging the AC charger into the back of the Powermat, and finding a decent place to put the thing down (I keep it to the left of my wireless keyboard).
Set it down on a wooden or glass surface and it will stay put until you lift it (please take a hint from this, Xtand!). The design holds its own without an iPhone on it, but the magic starts the moment you place your device on top.
The inductive charging process starts instantly, lighting the mat ‘s white LEDs, and prompting ‘charging ‘ noises from both the iPhone and the Powermat. You ‘re dead inside if the delicious geekiness of it all doesn ‘t at least make you smile. The only annoying aspect of this charger is that there isn ‘t any ‘night mode ‘ option. The white lights and charging sound can ‘t be turned off, and they can be distracting at night, especially during the rare cases the Powermat temporarily disconnects and then re-connects, prompting a sound out of nowhere.
General Usage
The Powermat is definitely a slower at charging than your vanilla iPhone setup, taking about two hours to charge from 3 to 90 percent. However, because of how natural it feels to simply lay the iPhone down on the Powermat, I find I keep my device juiced up far more often.
It ‘s a little awkward to hit the Home button when the iPhone is on the mat, but general usage couldn ‘t be easier. The magnets used for inductive charging help keep the iPhone in place, so the device simply turns into an elevated touch monitor.
Apps like Pastebot, Twitter, Icebird, and Things really shine when used as a screen next to the keyboard. It ‘s also more fun to use my 3GS as a primary music player while at the computer, since it ‘s so easy to pick up and move around the house with. The Powermat simply makes the iPhone more accessible more often, eliminating all those little moments of hesitation where you don ‘t touch the device because it ‘s tethered by a cable.
Jailbreak Inspiration
If there was ever a case that promoted jailbreaking to install Wi-fi Sync, then the Powermat would be it. This isn ‘t Powermat ‘s stance, of course, but imaging never, ever having to plug a charge or sync cable into the iPhone again. The Powermat and the jailbreak Wi-Fi sync app can make that a reality (though I have yet to try this out ” I ‘m waiting for 4.0 ‘s official release).
Conclusion
The Powermat has given me a taste of what Palm Pre users enjoyed with the Touchstone, and I really love it. The whole kit fits in naturally with the habits I ‘ve already formed: laying the iPhone down on my desk will start to charge it, and I can pick it up at any time to answer a call or check an app.
The Powermat Wireless Charging System for iPhone really surprised me. I had always been curious about the tech, but never thought I would enjoy using it this much. There ‘s nothing gimmicky about the Powermat (okay, the lights and sound may be ” but in an awesome kind of way), and I ‘ve found it to be one of the most genuinely useful and entertaining accessories I ‘ve used in a long time.
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This particular Powermat Charging System is available for $69.99 on the Powermat website.
I fail to understand the purpose of this thing. I mean, having to add the case just so you can charge the phone defeats the purpose of it all., especially because you'll always need an electrical outlet close by. If the case wasn't needed, then yes, it would be a killer accessory.
Sounds like you don't want to have a case on, or maybe you don't like this particular case. I'm never going to keep the 3GS naked again, since the first one developed cracks all on its own.
This is really something to be used right at one desk, and then you can use other micro-USB devices if you need a charge on-the-go. There's a definite downside to it, but I think it's a kickass little product.
The Powermat is basically A lazy way to charge your phone. It just skips a step of actually plugging the cord into your phone.
I think that's halfway there, and I'd replace lazy with \”geekily awesome\”. There's definitely a difference in the way you use the device when you no longer plug it in at your desktop.
I recall when they first showcased the development of this technology several years ago. The original intent was that the technology would be built directly into the battery or mobile device without having to use any add-ons like the bulky case. I guess they couldn't get the manufacturers to pay to license the technology. Too bad. It has so much potential.
doesn't this completely hoop your battery life??
I come into my office, put it on the mat, 10 min later out to the store, come back and on the mat again. 30 min later out for a few hours.
Doesn't all this tiny (no full charge) just kill battery life?
Actually there's no reason to believe that it would. The kind of battery damage you're talking about, according to Apple at least, doesn't apply to the lithium ion batteries they use. Each battery has a limited number of up/down charges before it weakens and dies. Any time you let the battery drain you are aging your battery. If you drain it 100% then charge it 100% that's one cycle. Two drains and charges of 50% are also one cycle. It no longer matters if your drains are partial or not, only how much you drain total.
reference: http://www.apple.com/batteries/
The obvious implication is that to extend battery life as long as possible our goal should be to keep our devices plugged in as often as possible. When they are plugged in, whether charging or fully charged, the battery is not *draining* and thus not aging through drain cycles. If you are at your computer you should keep your iphone plugged in as much as possible.
This device, aside its other merits or pitfalls, would be good for long-term battery life, as it would really encourage you to keep the battery in a charging state almost all of the time when possible, with as little friction as possible and without wearing down your various cables and jacks from constatntly unplugging the device to go to the bathroom
My big question about the device is about syncing. To me the fact that syncing happens during charging is a HUGE benefit. I HAVE to charge the phone, but could live without syncing so if they weren't linked I would sync a lot less. That said having a synced phone is vital for calendars and other data, so I'd hate to find myself annoyed at the process. I'd really want a wireless syncing solution and a way to have it go off automatically when set down on the power mat.
Reviewer: do you have mobileme? That would make a lot of sense, and reduce issues related to syncing with this device.
@jeremy
I use a free Google Exchange account to constantly push contacts/mail/calendar to my device wirelessly. As for wireless syncing with iTunes, I'm running a jailbroken version of iOS 4 with an app called Wi-Fi Sync. This lets me sync wirelessly with iTunes 9.2. It takes a little longer, but it really is completely wireless. A great partner to the Powermat.
I like the case bcause it's similar to the Case-Mate that I use. But, I think the charging pad on the back of the case makes it rather too big to have on the iPhone. Other than that, I'd probably consider it…
Then again, with the iPhone 4 due out shortly, I'd probably hold off buying anymore iPhone 3GS accessories.